SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Destination St. Maarten/St. Martin was well represented by St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) 2024. At this year's convention, STB, represented by Cherinah Franken - Head Product Development & Visitor Relations and Rosette Generlette-Pantophlet, Secretary & Product Development Assistant, hosted an interactive and informative workshop for 100+ travel agents, eagerly anticipating poignant selling points to promote destination St. Maarten among their customers and associates.

Themed "EXPERIENCE Sweet St. Maarten/St. Martin," this immersive workshop was facilitated by IMBRACE Group's CEO, Jacqueline Louis, with supporting performances by Funtopia's cultural ambassadors.

All core aspects of St. Maarten's tourism products were passionately shared to conference attendees through a multi-sensory presentation. This included using vibrant visuals, rythmic local music, cultural singing and dancing, along with a sweet and savory taste of Colombier Guavaberry and tarts.

Strategically designed to awaken the minds, souls, hearts and spirits of all participants, compelling information regarding destination St. Maarten was uniquely intertwined. The details ranged from the local history, geography, culture, ecology - including beaches and St. Maarten's diverse landscapes, agriculture, and adventures, to cruise ports, hotels, restaurants, transportation, events and activities, as well as the countless sites to see, things to do and places to go on the island.

Furthermore, STB's participation included an onsite display booth which showcased the destination to thousands of Conference attendees at the Broward/Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. Direct one-on-one interactions and ongoing networking also served to promote St. Maarten by providing pertinent information to busloads of inquisitive participants.

Working seamlessly together, Team St. Maarten successfully achieved the desired objectives, which included raising awareness and inciting the desires of travel agents to personally visit and explore destination St. Maarten. Many Conference attendees expressed their inspiration and enthusiasm to keep the island top of mind by encouraging CLIA's wide-ranging global membership and their respective customer bases to vacation on the island.

Internationally recognized as the only official conference of the cruise industry, CLIA Cruise360 brings together travel professionals, cruise line representatives, ports, destinations, industry suppliers and CLIA preferred partners for a truly panoramic view of the cruise industry.

The CLIA community includes the world's most prestigious ocean, river, and specialty cruise lines; a highly trained and certified travel agent community; and widespread industry stakeholders, including ports & destinations, ship development, suppliers, and business services.

CLIA represents 95% of the world’s ocean-going cruise capacity, as well as 54,000 travel agents, which includes 15,000 of the largest travel agencies in the world. Jointly, CLIA's membership encompasses the world's largest cruise industry trade association which provides a unified voice and leading authority of the global cruise community.

CLIA supports policies and practices that foster a secure, healthy, and sustainable cruise ship environment, promoting positive travel experiences for more than 30 million passengers who have cruised annually.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - In an era where collaboration and unity are paramount for societal progress, NPOwer, of Foresee Foundation (4C), in partnership with the Think 2 Do Institute, announces its 2024 Forum series under the title "Co-Creating Social Impact."

The forum, set to take place on Thursday, April 24, between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., at the University of St. Maarten, promises to be a start for transformative action and community empowerment.

The forum's overarching goal is to enhance collaboration between Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs), the public, and private sectors, aiming to bolster social cohesion. By analyzing inter-sectoral relationships and initiating dialogue, NPOwer and its collaborators seek to propose positive recommendations and craft actionable plans that will amplify the invaluable work of NPOs in local communities.

Bonnie Benesh, PhD, a thought leader and head of the Think 2 Do Institute, will moderate and present at the forum. With her wealth of experience and expertise, Benesh will guide discussions, aiming to build the nonprofit sector's influence in St. Maarten's development and enhance its capacity to co-create positive change with the government as a serious partner.

The forum will delve into critical aspects of social cohesion, utilizing tools such as the Social Progress Index and Social Cohesion to assess St. Maarten's ability to address fundamental human needs and enhance citizens' quality of life. Through interactive experiences and structured dialogues, participants will gain invaluable insights into how collaboration and partnership can lead to tangible, positive outcomes for communities. Incoming ministers and parliamentarians are used to participate in this forum which seeks to strengthen collaboration.

At the heart of this initiative lies a recognition of the power of unity and the importance of structured dialogue in fostering progress. Drawing on the insights from Bonnie Benesh's keynote at NPOwer's 2023 conference, which emphasized the pivotal role of social cohesion in community resilience, this year's forum series builds upon a foundation of shared knowledge and collective action.

The Board of 4C urges invitees and partners to make every effort to participate in this forum, which will help the island grow: "As we look ahead to the Co-Creating Social Impact forum, let us be inspired by the vision of a cohesive and empowered society, where individuals and organizations work hand in hand to effect meaningful change. Together, we have the power to shape a brighter future for St. Maarten and beyond."

Known for its tagline, "Where NPOs connect," NPOwer is situated at Illidge Road #60, Unit 1, alongside R4CR and Samenwerkende Fondsen Cariben. Interested NPOs can register via the link https://bit.ly/2024-Forum-NPOwer. For further information or inquiries, please contact the NPOwer team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 721 581 5050, or visit www.npowersxm.com

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – Local councils are sharply divided over plans to regulate sex work from home, with some concerned that the proposed new rules will do little to improve conditions for sex workers or people living nearby.

NOS conducted a survey of 150 local authorities that revealed widely differing views over whether they wanted to permit sex work under licence at all, or what they expected the impact on the community to be.

The government wants to regulate the sector to reflect the increase in home-based and online sex work. Workers would have to attend an interview to satisfy their local council that they are over 21, working independently and not under duress.

The plans have been shelved since the last cabinet fell in July and no date has been set for the law to be brought before parliament.

Some councils have banned sex work from home outright, while others have attached strict conditions, such as Enschede, where sex workers are not allowed to work in flats or near schools, and Lingewaard, which excludes rental properties.

Others recognise the trend towards sex work moving off the streets, but query whether licensing will lead to better safety. Tilburg currently allows sex work from home but imposes strict guidelines, including a ban on advertising in the neighbourhood.

The council argues licensing will not solve the problem of illegal prostitution. “Sex workers without a licence will be even vulnerable to pressure, violence and blackmail,” it told NOS.

Hilversum, which also already permits home working, agreed. “It is an illusion that sex workers who are dealing with abuses will apply for a licence,” the council responded.

Other councils were concerned about the implications of sex work taking place behind closed doors. “If sex work takes place in private, it is difficult to be aware of potential abuses,” said the Zuid-Holland council of Kaag en Brassem.

There were also worries about the impact on neighbourhoods, with Moerdijk arguing it would lead to traffic congestion, street disturbances and “people in the area feeling less safe”.

Leeuwarden said even under licensed conditions, the system was at risk of being exploited by criminals. “A pimp can rent houses and install sex workers in them without conflicting with the law, the guidelines or the local master plan,” the council said.

(DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - After hosting the Sint Maarten Advisory Committee on Slavery, Atonement and Reparations (ACSAR) Symposium on St. Martin Identity: Slavery, Labour and Migration on Friday, 1 December the University of St. Martin Science Research Institute (SSRI) continued to support initiatives which preserve our archives and heritage, and which facilitate further research for development of the people on our island.

In February, SSRI hosted a meeting with individuals and representatives of various organizations with an interest in St Martin’s heritage. On that occasion USM welcomed Dutch historians Prof. dr. Coen van Galen from the History Department of the Radboud University and Dr Johan van Galen from the National Archive of the Netherlands, to provide a presentation on their findings concerning the condition and the possibilities to preserve the available archives on St Martin, St Eustatius, and Saba.

Archives have a lot of historical valuable information for family research, research about developments on our islands. The meeting with the representatives of various organizations interested in preserving our heritage concluded that there is an urgent need for a National Archive on our island and to facilitate more research into the history of the people on our island.

On Tuesday April 23^rd from 17.30 pm – 19.00 pm in Room 200, USM will be hosting a next meeting with all persons and organizations interested in establishing a St Martin Archives & Heritage Platform.

What can we do together to promote the preservation and the research about the heritage of our people? The Tuesday meeting will be held just in time before the Dutch Caribbean Heritage 2024 conference, which will be held in May here on St Martin with the theme: Awareness! 

Those interested in attending are asked to send an email to USM Research Coordinator This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.