The Dutch Caribbean island of St Maarten has a new tourism minister in Arthur Lambriex.

Lambriex, who was recently appointed minister of tourism, economic affairs, transportation & telecommunication (TEATT), succeeds Acting Tourism Minister Omar Ottley, who had been serving since the resignation of former Tourism Minister Roger Lawrence last summer. 

In his first speech as tourism minister, Lambriex vowed to use the first 100 days of his term to reposition the destination and get a handle on the reconstruction project at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), among other priorities. 

“My goal is to ensure that St Maarten remains at the centre of the travel industry and rises once more to the top,” stated Lambriex, who articulated several priorities, including widening the Simpson Bay Bridge to attract and accommodate more mega and giga-yachts to the island. 

As for the airport, whose construction continues to see delays, the new minister said it was “unclear why the repairs to PJIA have taken longer than the actual construction of the airport.

Continuing, he said: “Delays in rebuilding the airport damages St Maarten’s ability to attract new investments necessary for increasing economic activity.”