St. Maarten/St. Martin, Heyliger-Marten and PJIA honored with Caribbean Travel Award

GREAT BAY-MARIGOT--St. Maarten/St. Martin has been named Caribbean Destination of the Year at the 12th annual Caribbean Travel Awards, marking a major milestone for the destination’s tourism performance. Grisha Heyliger-Marten was also awarded Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year, while Princess Juliana International Airport earned Caribbean Airport of the Year for the second consecutive year.

The Caribbean Travel Awards, launched in 2014, are selected by the editors of Caribbean Journal and span 41 categories recognizing destinations, experiences, and individuals shaping Caribbean travel. The announcement comes as regional tourism remains strong, with more than 35 million overnight visitors expected across the Caribbean in 2025 and an additional 38 million cruise passengers.

In naming St. Maarten/Saint Martin as Destination of the Year, Caribbean Journal editors cited the destination’s culinary offering, growing airlift, diverse hotel product, and its unique identity as two countries sharing one island. Minister Heyliger-Marten, who took office in 2024, was recognized for her leadership during the destination’s recent tourism resurgence and repositioning efforts.

In awarding the country this is what Caribbean Journal wrote:

"𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦: 𝘋𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘚𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥-𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘚𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 2026 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳."

“This recognition is deeply meaningful because it reflects far more than a single achievement, it affirms the collective effort, discipline, and shared vision of our tourism sector,” said Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten.

“Being named Caribbean Destination of the Year, alongside recognition for our airport and tourism leadership, confirms that when we plan with intention, invest strategically, and work in partnership, real results follow. This moment belongs to our people, our frontline tourism workers, our public-private partners, and every stakeholder committed to building a tourism economy that is resilient, inclusive, and designed to endure beyond any single cycle.”

Princess Juliana International Airport was again recognized for its modernized terminals and its expanding role as a key air hub in the region. Together, the three awards highlight St. Maarten/Saint Martin’s standing as a leading Caribbean destination driven by connectivity, culture, and hospitality.

Caribbean Journal is a U.S.-based digital publication founded in 2011 that focuses on Caribbean travel and tourism news, hotel and destination coverage, and industry developments, with a readership described as primarily U.S.-based but global in reach. The outlet says it is among the most widely read Caribbean travel platforms, supported by a daily newsletter that OneCaribbean.org lists at more than 200,000 subscribers. Its audience footprint is also reflected in its social distribution, including a Facebook community of more than 420,000 followers.

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