St. Maarten a terrific candidate for tapping faith tourism market

St. Maarten a terrific candidate for tapping faith tourism market

By Judy H. Fitzpatrick and Hazel Durand
The Daily Herald, St. Maarten
http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/l010/faith010.html

May 28, 2008
PHILIPSBURG - St. Maarten may be only sixteen square miles, but its varied facilities, natural Caribbean setting, strategic location and cultural and religious diversity make it a prime candidate for faith tourism, a multibillion-dollar industry beckoning to be exploited.
With the pressure to find new niche markets to keep tourists flowing to the Caribbean region mounting under the weight of the spiralling fuel and food prices globally, several local stakeholders and faith-based organisations have expressed willingness to go after this fast-growing market.

The International Conference on Religious Tourism tags the worldwide faith tourism segment of the industry at US $18 billion, with religious tourists from North America, where St. Maarten spends much of its marketing dollars, accounting for $10 billion of that amount.

US-based publication The Christian Post has said that now more than ever before, churches are beginning to recognise travel as ministry - an opportunity to experience faith, fellowship and fun, while exploring the world. World Religious Travel Association President Kevin J. Wright is numbered amongst that enlightened group. He said the faith tourism market provided a good opportunity for the Caribbean and the region should position itself to tap it.

"Let the (faith communities) know that you exist and let the travel industry know that you are open to faith tourism," Wright told participants at the just-ended Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) in Puerto Rico attended by close to 100 journalists, editors and industry experts.

Wright, also Chairman of the World Religious Travel Expo, said the faith-based market was no longer a seniors-only small-budget market of people solely interested in pilgrimage. The "new era" in faith tourism, he stressed, represents people of all ages who are looking for multi-vacation experiences and quality products and services.

Willingness
Representatives of several faith-based organisations here believe that St. Maarten is an ideal destination for attracting religious tourism and are willing to do their part to promote it.
Some argue that while St. Maarten may not have religious shrines for pilgrimages, with 104 different nationalities residing here, people from just about every religion can be found in "The Friendly Island." At last week's St. Maarten Community Service outreach programme, for example, it was found that there are 83 Christian churches in St. Maarten.
Some also contend that the newly constructed St. Maarten Festival Village, which can accommodate thousands of people, and which has undergone a remarkable transformation and now features about 80 food booths, a huge stage and improved washroom and other facilities, is a good location for hosting large conventions.

The Festival Village, coupled with the growing number of hotel rooms and St. Maarten's strategic geographic location and airlift ease, adds to the island's allure to the religious travel market.

Many religious groups have already been engaged in activities that attract faith-based travellers without even realising it. For example, many people from neighbouring islands flew in to attend the crusade of televangelist Benny Hinn when it was held here a few years ago.
Also, the just-ended second annual St. Maarten Believers Convention attracted close to 1,500 people, about 10 per cent of whom flew in from abroad, St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation President Wycliffe Smith estimates.

He said that although it hadn't been thought of when the event was conceived, its potential to attract overseas-based religious persons was in keeping with the organisers' goal of "growing" the event. He also spoke of other Christian-organised events that had the potential to attract people from abroad to worship and minister, and to enjoy what the island has to offer.
The Hindu population here has also organised small spiritual camps and other events from time to time, some of which attract overseas-based Indians, explained Hindu spiritual leader Anita Advani who has resided here for many years. One such camp, which featured Indian spiritual leader J.P. Raswani as a guest speaker, attracted about 100 persons, including some from abroad.

Advani said that although St. Maarten had lost out on the niche market for Hindu weddings when the visa requirement for Indians was introduced some time ago, faith tourism was another market that could be capitalised on. St. Maarten, she noted, has "nice hotels" and a large number of Indian restaurants that can appeal to Hindu and other religious tourists.
Since its establishment, the local chapter of Buddhist compassion relief organisation Tzu Chi Foundation has also organised events that attracted large crowds. In 2005, for example, a group of Buddhists from the US visited the island for fellowship purposes as well as to immerse themselves in the island's culture and history.

The Foundation has long-term plans to organise conferences and camps that can attract Buddhists from abroad, said President Sandra Cheung.

Bishop Sam of Thy Kingdom Come Ministries, like Cheung, said St. Maarten had a golden opportunity to become a model for this type of tourism in the region. Sam went a step further, saying faith tourism could help to reignite the island's friendly nature and attract a more "holistic" set of visitors to the island, something he said would be "wholesome" for the destination.

Pastor Lewis Constant of Christ Triumph Church said the island should "explore every avenue," including religious tourism, that could boost its tourism industry.

"The strong faith of our people combined with natural beauty and the many different nations represented here make St. Maarten a perfect place to gather in small and large groups to celebrate one's faith, which is what religious tourism is all about," Lewis explained. Despite the slowdown of the US economy, the large number of Americans interested in religious travel presents a tremendous opportunity for St. Maarten, he said.

Sister Devki Ramsahai of the local chapter of the Brama Kumaris World Spiritual University concurs: "Talking about God in the Caribbean is so easy because nature has a soothing effect on people's minds. We have warm, open and hospitable people and our culture and environment are good to develop faith tourism."

Faith what?
But while some are willing to get on board the faith tourism bandwagon, some have never heard of the concept and are unsure how they can contribute. When approached for their views, Pastor Ludwig Hodge and Iman Yakubu Mohammed said they were not familiar with the concept.
Mohammed said that although the 500- to 600-strong Muslim community here had not organised any huge religious events that could attract overseas religious travellers in recent history, many Muslims here were involved in businesses that catered to the tourism industry. He said too that the mosque in Cay Hill was open to the public and religious Muslim and other travellers also could make use of this facility for prayers when here. While he is unfamiliar with the concept, Hodge said, "All things are possible once God is in it," and religious tourism would work if pursued with faith.

Improvements
While all agree that St. Maarten can position itself as a faith-based destination, Smith said that even with the refurbished Festival Village, there was need for additional facilities to accommodate the sort of huge crowds that large-scale faith conventions could attract.
He also underscored the need for infrastructural improvements and the need for less expensive accommodation. He noted that there had been occasions when religious travellers had had to stay in "makeshift places" because of the high cost of accommodation here.
However, Tourism Commissioner Roy Marlin said the island's hotel inventory included many small hotels that offered economical accommodation to visitors on low budgets.
On the plus side, Smith said the Ministerial Foundation was willing to work along with authorities to help promote the island as a faith-based destination if a firm commitment was made to do so.

Marketing
Cognisant of the potential of this industry, local tourism officials are willing to back it. Marlin, like Tourism Director Regina LaBega who attended the CMEx exchange, contended that local faith-based groups were already tapping this niche through conferences and other events that attracted overseas visitors, many of whom also capitalised on the opportunity to be immersed in the St. Marten hospitality, culture and cuisine.
LaBega said though that more specific marketing strategies could and would be used to promote St. Maarten as a faith-based tourism destination, if the benefits were clearly established. She said all hands would have to be on deck to guard against a repetition of a previous experience that had resulted in the shelving of a proposal to attract religious travellers after local religious groups had protested.

Marlin said several activities could be added to the island's calendar of events to tap the market. This can be done in such a way that it "fills in" for the low numbers recorded in the off season. "I think it's something that can be pursued, but it will need proper planning and possibly involve a team of persons in the ministry and tourism officials," he said.
St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) President Emil Lee said the idea of "developing faith tourism solely for the purpose of tourism seems wrong." He believes that the best way to make St. Maarten an attractive destination to visit is to make it a more attractive place to live.

"We shouldn't modify our beliefs or culture just to attract more visitors. As a matter of fact, more and more tourists are looking for an authentic experience. If it turns out that there is a demand to visit St. Maarten for reasons of faith, naturally, SHTA will assist in whatever way possible to make visiting the island easy and enjoyable."

As the Island Territory ponders its faith tourism prospects, preparations are in full swing for the first international travel convention in faith tourism expo in Orlando, Florida, in October-November. It will provide an opportunity for destinations like St. Maarten to further explore their prospects in this alluring niche market that beckons those of good faith.