The Peoples Tribune

August 24, 2026

GREAT BAY--Visitor arrivals to St. Maarten increased strongly during the first half of 2026, with both air and cruise traffic surpassing the same period last year, according to figures compiled by the Department of Statistics (STAT). Between January and June 2026, St. Maarten...

August 24, 2026

GREAT BAY--North America remains by far St. Maarten’s dominant air visitor market, but figures for the first half of 2026 show that the Caribbean and South America continue to play an important role in the destination’s tourism performance and regional connectivity. Between Ja...

August 24, 2026

THE HAGUE--Efforts to make air travel to and from St. Eustatius and Saba more affordable have moved an important step forward following publication of an amendment to the BES Aviation Act in the Dutch Official Gazette. The legislation, dated July 8, 2026 and officially pu...

August 24, 2026

ST. EUSTATIUS--The Public Entity St. Eustatius has officially launched the Statia Climate Action Plan, setting out a long-term approach to strengthening the island’s resilience to drought, rising temperatures, stronger storms, coastal erosion, threats to food and water securit...

August 23, 2026

GREAT BAY-- The cost of living in St. Maarten rose sharply during the second quarter of 2026, with inflation reaching 5.45 percent compared with the same period one year earlier, according to the Department of Statistics (STAT). Prices also increased by 4.03 percent between th...

August 23, 2026

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Egbert Doran has accused government of allowing high utility bills and poor execution to deepen financial hardship in St. Maarten, warning that even middle-class households are being pushed into debt simply to keep up with basic expenses. D...

August 23, 2026

GREAT BAY--President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has called on government to make a fundamental “course correction” in how it sets priorities and executes policy, warning during the 2026 budget debate that St. Maarten cannot continue operating in the same manner a...

August 23, 2026

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers says he is moving forward with the proposed Ryan Gumbs Law, including an amendment aimed at redirecting a portion of Parliament’s travel budget toward the legislative work needed to develop the law, while insisting that the...

August 22, 2026

GREAT BAY--St. Maarten is confronting two significant capacity and financial realities as Government presents its 2026 Budget to Parliament: a major personnel shortage within the Ministry of General Affairs and public debt projected to reach approximately Cg. 1.047 billio...

August 22, 2026

GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor presented a 2026 VSA budget of just under XCG 109 million, an increase of approximately 12 percent over 2025, while stressing that much of the Ministry’s funding is already committed to healt...

August 22, 2026

GREAT BAY--Youth and Sport (ECYS), with approximately Cg. 77.5 million allocated in the 2026 Budget, as Minister Melissa Gumbs outlined a wide-ranging agenda covering education reform, cultural preservation, youth development, sports, digital transformation and major exte...

August 22, 2026

GREAT BAY- - Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs used her closing remarks during the 2026 Budget debate to call for greater shared responsibility across St. Maarten, stressing that Government funding alone cannot deliver the outcomes the country...

August 22, 2026

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Ludmila de Weever has strongly questioned government’s prioritization of cannabis regulation, warning that St. Maarten is not sufficiently prepared for the possible public health, mental health, regulatory and financial consequences while m...