New Country Status for St. Maarten

A visit to St. Maarten is a trip to one of the world’s newest countries. On October 10, 2010, the flag of the Netherlands Antilles was lowered in front of the Courthouse in Philipsburg and the “new” flag was raised. (The flag that now flies is the territory flag, in use since 1985 at the border point.) This move symbolically signaled the end of an era and the birth of the Country of Sint Maarten, now a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and no longer an island territory.

What does this mean?

For one, the new country’s flag says it all. The destination many visitors know and love will stay the same. There’s the island’s national flower, the yellow sage, and national bird, the brown pelican depicted in flight and silhouetted by the sun, which convey that the island’s natural assets remain here to enjoy. The flag’s white and blue colors represent enduring and endearing attributes such as the friendliness of the people and signature seaside and shorelines.

The new flag also depicts the border monument that marks the division between St. Maarten and St. Martin. In addition to its long-standing affiliations with the Netherlands, St. Maarten has shared this 33.6-square mile island with French-owned St. Martin and will continue to do so.

However, this new governance will usher in changes that could be especially beneficial for visitors. For example, an article in Travel Weekly quoted the director of tourism as saying that the country’s new-found autonomy opens up opportunities to negotiate new air service, routes and markets. Other local government officials have declared they intend to use their financial resources to fund projects such as hotels, ports and other visitor-friendly initiatives. In addition, St. Maarten lawmakers can now take their own stance on controversial issues such as gay marriage.

New postage stamps and a new currency, the Caribbean Guilder, are set to come into place in January 2012. The Antillean Guilder, still in use (Q4 2010) is linked to the U.S. dollar. Some things, though, will stay the same. St. Maarten’s citizens will retain their Dutch passports and the Dutch government will still watch over finances, foreign policy and the island’s defense.

The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles didn’t just affect St. Maarten. Curacao also became an independent country (within the Kingdom) on October 10, 2010. Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, the remaining Netherlands Antilles, continue as special municipalities within the Netherlands, but unlike Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten, will replace the Dutch guilder with the U.S. dollar as the official currency. Aruba already traveled this path, succeeding from the Netherlands Antilles and becoming a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1986.