Sint Maarten cruise arrivals rise 13.9% in first half of 2026
Provisional statistics show Port St. Maarten received 993,649 cruise passengers from January through June, although growth slowed in the second quarter.
Sint Maarten recorded about 1.56 million combined air and cruise arrivals during the first six months of 2026, up 16.5% from the same period in 2025, according to figures released by the Department of Statistics, known as STAT.
Cruise passengers accounted for 993,649 of those arrivals, an increase of 121,290, or 13.9%, from 872,359 a year earlier. First-quarter cruise traffic rose 17.7% to 748,603 passengers. January was the busiest month, with 292,526 cruise passengers, followed by 227,719 in February and 228,358 in March.
Growth moderated in the second quarter, when cruise arrivals increased 3.7% to 245,046 from 236,391 in the corresponding period last year. May traffic declined about 18.4%, falling to 57,123 passengers from 70,019 in May 2025.
STAT said the cruise totals were compiled from arrival records provided by Port St. Maarten. The department described the second-quarter figures as provisional and subject to revision after final records are processed.