Business
Sint Maarten welcomed 1.32 million cruise passengers and 395,053 stay-over visitors in 2023
Stay-over arrivals rose 6% and cruise passenger arrivals 56% in 2023 compared with 2022, according to the Department of Statistics (STAT). The Daily Herald, citing STAT, reported 1,318,177 cruise passengers and 395,053 stay-over guests, while ship calls rose to 491.
By SXM Daily ยท
Reported 2 February 2024.
Sint Maarten's tourism arrivals grew again in 2023, with stay-over arrivals up 6% and cruise passenger arrivals up 56% on 2022, according to the government's Department of Statistics (STAT).
.jpg)
Illustrative: cruise ships at Philipsburg. Photo: Luigi Rosa / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The figures
The Daily Herald, citing STAT figures published on 1 February 2024, reported that 1,318,177 cruise passengers arrived in 2023, up from 844,090 in 2022. A total of 395,053 stay-over guests arrived in 2023, compared with 372,808 the year before.
The government's release of 1 February 2024 said the stay-over total was 24% higher than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic, when 319,696 visitors arrived. North America (the United States and Canada) accounted for 67% of stay-over visitors, Europe 24% and South America 2%.
The same release said the 2023 cruise total beat the port's projection of 1.27 million passengers by 3.77%.
Ship calls are counted separately from passengers. According to the Herald, 491 cruise ships called at Port St. Maarten in 2023, up from 417 port calls in 2022.
In a government release on 28 February 2024, STAT confirmed the 6% rise in stay-over arrivals and the 56% rise in cruise arrivals on 2022. Compared with 2021, when travel was still recovering from COVID-19 restrictions, stay-over arrivals were up 59% and cruise arrivals 467%, the government said.
Still below the 2016 peak
The Herald noted that both segments remained below their 2016 levels, the year before Hurricane Irma. The government put the 2016 stay-over record at 528,153 guests. STAT said the upward trend could see record numbers surpassed "in the coming years", according to the Herald.
For 2025 passenger and cruise figures, see our guides to Princess Juliana International Airport and the cruise port in Philipsburg.
Sources
- Government of Sint Maarten: Stayover - Cruise arrivals (1 February 2024)
- Government of Sint Maarten: Tourism stay-over and cruise arrivals increased in 2023 (28 February 2024)
- The Daily Herald: Cruise, stay-over tourist numbers continue to increase, although still less than before Irma (2 February 2024)