Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten (Dutch southern portion) represents the other half of the world's most remarkable divided island, complementing French Saint Martin through niche partitioning—casinos, nightlife, and cruise terminals on the Dutch side versus beaches and fine dining on the French. GDP expanded 3.3% in 2024, with 2.7% projected for 2025 as cruise tourism gradually recovers toward pre-pandemic levels. Tourism capacity eclipsed both pre-Hurricane Irma and pre-COVID levels by 2024, partially through vacation rental construction—short-term rentals now comprise 40% of room inventory, generating 5% of GDP annually. The new airport inauguration in 2024 marked a milestone in World Bank-supported post-Irma reconstruction. Sint Maarten has the highest tourism density among Caribbean islands: 30 visitors per local resident, six times the regional average. In March 2025, the Caribbean guilder replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder as official currency. From 2026 onwards, growth is expected to converge toward 1.8% as reconstruction stimulus fades and tourism growth becomes constrained by carrying capacity and infrastructure limitations. The economy remains 81.3% services-dependent with GDP by sector showing negligible agriculture (0.4%) and modest industry (18.3%). Road, waste, and electricity infrastructure require urgent investment to absorb continued tourism inflows—the island's success is constrained by the physical systems supporting it.