Jamaica Aligns With Curaçao and More as St. Maarten’s SMART 2027 Connects Caribbean Travel Leaders

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[Sint Maarten, May 2024] — St. Maarten has officially confirmed the dates for SMART 2027, the Northeastern Caribbean’s premier tourism marketplace, which will run from June 14 to 18, 2027. The event serves as the primary commercial engine for regional tourism, facilitating high-level negotiations between international travel buyers and Caribbean destination suppliers to shape future travel packages and flight routes.

The gathering focuses on expanding the commercial reach of Caribbean nations, including Jamaica and Curaçao, by providing a centralized hub for B2B (business-to-business) networking. By bringing together tourism boards, airlines, and hotel operators, the event aims to increase the visibility of regional destinations to global travel agencies and wholesalers, ultimately diversifying the products available to international tourists.

The Catalyst for SMART 2027

The push toward the 2027 event is driven by the aggressive growth seen during the 2026 edition. The 18th annual tradeshow, hosted at the JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa in Dawn Beach, demonstrated a sharp increase in commercial appetite for Caribbean travel. This growth is characterized by a significant rise in the number of participating companies and a physical expansion of the event's infrastructure to accommodate more international delegates.

Data from the 2026 event reveals a sector in rapid expansion. Buyer company participation rose from 51 in 2025 to 57 in 2026, marking an 11.8% increase. Even more striking is the growth in supplier participation, which jumped from 44 to 62 companies—a 40.9% surge. Vendor participation saw the highest growth rate, climbing 50% from 20 businesses in 2025 to 30 in 2026. To support this influx of professionals, the exhibition area was expanded by 40% over the previous year.

Regional Impact and Participation

The event acts as a diplomatic and commercial bridge for 27 different countries and territories. While the total participant list is extensive, several key Caribbean markets have been publicly identified as central to the networking ecosystem.

The following destinations are actively leveraging the SMART platform to secure international contracts:

Destination	Role and Strategic Focus
St. Maarten	Host destination and regional transport hub
Jamaica	Major tourism market seeking international buyer connections
Curaçao	Dutch Caribbean destination expanding market reach
Anguilla	Focusing on multi-island itineraries and proximity links
British Virgin Islands	Regional travel market integration
Montserrat	B2B partnership activity (recorded 35 appointments in 2026)
St. Kitts and Nevis	Eastern Caribbean market expansion
Trinidad and Tobago	Diversifying tourism product offerings
Turks and Caicos	Increasing visibility with North American and European buyers
Saba & St. Eustatius	Dutch Caribbean niche market development
St. Martin	French side coordination for shared island tourism

The scale of these interactions is immense. The 2026 event generated over 1,500 scheduled business appointments. For smaller territories like Montserrat, these appointments are critical; their delegation specifically targeted partners from the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, and the Dominican Republic to build direct pipelines for visitors.

What This Means for Travelers

While SMART is a trade-only event, the outcomes directly dictate the consumer experience for the average traveler. When 62 suppliers and 57 buyers negotiate in a single room, the result is a shift in how the Caribbean is sold to the public.

1. More "Island-Hopping" Packages The heavy presence of neighboring islands like Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands means that travel agencies are now designing itineraries that combine multiple destinations. Instead of a single-island stay, travelers will see more integrated packages that utilize Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) as a gateway to the wider Northeastern Caribbean.

2. New Flight Connections and Logistics Because airlines participate in these B2B appointments, the event often triggers the discussion of new regional air services or modified schedules to better connect hubs like St. Maarten with smaller islands like Saba or St. Eustatius.

3. Diversified Hotel Offerings The 40.9% increase in supplier companies indicates a surge in new hotel and resort entries into the market. Travelers can expect a wider variety of accommodation tiers—from luxury boutiques to sustainable eco-lodges—to appear in booking engines as a result of these partnerships.

4. Competitive Pricing through Direct Deals By connecting local operators directly with international buyers, the event reduces the number of "middlemen" in the travel chain, which can lead to more competitive pricing for curated Caribbean tour packages.

The Roadmap to 2027

The trajectory from the 18th edition toward SMART 2027 suggests a move toward deeper regional integration. The focus is shifting from simply promoting individual islands to promoting the Caribbean as a cohesive, multi-destination region.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and similar bodies emphasize that the B2B structure allows smaller islands to bypass the cost of establishing independent commercial offices in Europe or North America. Instead, they use the St. Maarten hub to meet all major global sellers in one five-day window.

As the June 14–18, 2027, dates approach, the industry expects the exhibition space to grow further. The focus will likely remain on the "hub-and-spoke" model, where St. Maarten serves as the primary entry point, and the surrounding islands act as the spokes, creating a seamless travel circuit for the global tourist.

FAQ: Caribbean Travel Trends 2027

Will SMART 2027 be open to the general public? No. SMART is a B2B trade event designed for tourism professionals, buyers, and suppliers. However, the partnerships formed there will result in new travel deals and packages available to the public via travel agencies and booking sites.

How does this event affect flight availability to the Caribbean? By bringing airlines and tourism boards together, the event facilitates discussions on new routes and increased flight frequencies, particularly for regional hops between St. Maarten and neighboring islands.

Which islands are best for multi-destination trips based on these partnerships? St. Maarten, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands are heavily integrated. Travelers can expect more streamlined packages that combine these destinations due to their proximity and coordinated tourism efforts.

Why is St. Maarten the host for this event? St. Maarten serves as a critical transport gateway for the Northeastern Caribbean. Its airport and maritime links make it the most logical central point for delegates from 27 different countries to congregate.

The Caribbean is no longer a collection of isolated destinations, but a networked travel economy.

#SintMaarten2027 #CaribbeanTourism #SXM #TourismB2B #NortheasternCaribbean #TravelTrade2027

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