Tourism flows through Sint Maarten showed strong growth in 2025, with both cruise and air passenger arrivals increasing and reaffirming the island’s strategic position within the northeastern Caribbean tourism and transport network. New statistics released by the government’s Department of Statistics indicate that the territory welcomed nearly 1.6 million cruise visitors and more than 855,000 air passengers over the year, highlighting the continued recovery of the island’s tourism sector.
The figures point to a sustained rebound across both maritime and aviation segments, positioning the island once again as a key gateway connecting North American and European markets with the wider Caribbean.
Cruise sector drives tourism momentum
Cruise tourism remained the dominant driver of visitor volumes in 2025. The island recorded 1,597,940 cruise passengers during the year, marking a 16% increase compared with 2024.
The quarterly breakdown shows a strong seasonal pattern. The first quarter alone accounted for 635,968 cruise visitors, representing nearly 40% of total annual arrivals, while the fourth quarter contributed 560,700 passengers, or just over 35% of the yearly total. In contrast, the second and third quarters saw lower volumes with 236,391 and 164,881 cruise visitors respectively.
Growth was recorded across every quarter compared with the previous year. Cruise arrivals increased 11% in Q1, 14% in Q2, 23% in Q3, and 22% in Q4, illustrating the broad-based expansion of cruise activity throughout the year.
Port activity also intensified. The island welcomed 592 cruise ship calls in 2025, compared with 513 in 2024, representing an additional 79 vessels and a 15% increase in ship visits. According to the government’s data, cruise calls are now approaching the pre-2017 benchmark of roughly 600 annual visits, before operations were heavily disrupted by Hurricane Irma.
The growth recorded in the final quarter was particularly notable. Cruise arrivals during that period increased by almost 100,000 passengers compared with the same period in 2024, pushing the annual total to more than 220,000 additional cruise visitors year-on-year.
Air passenger arrivals strengthen regional connectivity
Alongside cruise tourism, air traffic through Princess Juliana International Airport continued to expand. The Department of Statistics reported 855,994 air passenger arrivals in 2025, with traffic distributed across the year’s four quarters.
The first quarter recorded 256,923 arrivals, accounting for 30% of the annual total, followed by 209,877 passengers in Q2 (24.5%). The third quarter registered 168,915 arrivals, while 220,279 passengers arrived in Q4, representing 25.7% of the yearly traffic.
Due to the island’s geographic position within the northeastern Caribbean, the airport functions not only as a destination but also as a regional gateway. Some travelers arriving by air continue onward to nearby islands, including the French side of Saint Martin and other destinations within the Caribbean network. For this reason, the statistics include transfer passengers as part of overall air arrival figures.
The government also noted that the implementation of a new digital immigration system has improved the accuracy of arrival data, although certain limitations remain in distinguishing between transfer passengers, residents and European citizens.
North America remains the dominant tourism market
North America continued to represent the primary source market for air arrivals in 2025. Visitors from the United States and Canada accounted for 541,615 passengers, representing approximately 63.3% of all air arrivals.
The United States remained the largest individual market by a wide margin. 462,038 passengers arrived from the U.S., accounting for 53.9% of total arrivals and 85.3% of the North American market. On average, the island welcomed more than 45,000 passengers per month from the United States alone.
Europe represented the second-largest market segment, with 221,179 passengers arriving from European Union countries, equivalent to 25.8% of the total air traffic.
Within Europe, France emerged as the leading source country, with 87,952 visitors, representing 39.8% of the EU market and 10.3% of total arrivals. The Netherlands followed closely, contributing 85,741 passengers, or 38.8% of the European market.
Other regional markets remained smaller but steady. The Caribbean accounted for 43,986 air arrivals (about 5.1% of the total), while Central and South America contributed 25,484 passengers, representing roughly 3% of arrivals. The “rest of the world” category recorded 15,730 visitors, equivalent to 1.8% of the overall traffic.
A tourism gateway regaining momentum
Taken together, the growth in cruise activity and air passenger arrivals highlights the continued recovery of tourism flows through Sint Maarten and its role as a transportation hub within the northeastern Caribbean.
Following the disruptions caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the global pandemic several years later, the island’s tourism infrastructure has progressively regained momentum. With cruise ship calls nearing historic levels and air connectivity continuing to expand, Sint Maarten remains a central gateway linking North America, Europe and the wider Caribbean tourism market.
