Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) will once again take center stage at the St. Maarten / St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow (SMART) during its 19th edition, scheduled for June 22–26, 2026. This year, the airport will participate through a “Hub Lounge,” a centrally located walk-in and appointment-based space showcasing the gateway’s strategies to visiting “spoke” destinations, travel partners, and airlines. The announcement was made today by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), in close cooperation with the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB), l’Office du Tourisme (OdT), and Club du Tourisme (CdT).
SMART 2025 attracted visitors from 29 countries and destinations. PJIA’s presence with a double “Hub Booth” at the binational tradeshow reflects its growth ambitions as a regional hub. Airport CEO Michael Cleaver stated: “With its strong alliances locally and internationally, Princess Juliana is a vital gateway for stay-over tourism and inter-island connectivity, and a cornerstone of the regional economy. One of our growth ambitions is to strengthen that role.”
The binational tourism industry event, held for over 25 years, highlights the island’s tourism and other industries. It gives visiting tourism partners a taste of the island’s culinary and cultural offerings while helping expand the local economy. In addition to large and small hotels and tourism companies, participating industries include marketing and advertising, training services, media, telecom, retail, restaurants, food & beverage, and finance, representing both sides of the dual-nation St. Maarten / St. Martin.
As in the past two editions of SMART, Princess Juliana International Airport will use the event to meet current and prospective partners and share its next steps with stakeholders. Among these initiatives is the ambition to make the airport a destination in its own right: “An attraction within a destination, delivering seamless and memorable passenger experiences.”
The PJIA Hub Lounge will be one of the new features of SMART 2026, to be held at the JW Marriott. Other additions include a small hotels plaza, featuring dedicated tables for boutique properties, and the return of the “Green Room,” which highlights local NGOs working to improve the tourism product. An additional evening has been added to the program, and more event space will be made available, as both the 2024 and 2025 editions had all booths fully booked.
As of today, 79% of SMART booths have already been reserved. Given that booths for the past three editions consistently sold out, interested companies are encouraged to secure their spot at the 2026 event via events@shta.com. In addition to Princess Juliana International Airport and the four main organizing entities, many local companies also support the event. Amigo Tours, Rainforest Adventures, ShowMe Caribbean, Vin de Plage, Grant Thornton, CC1 St. Maarten, Port St. Maarten, Booking Success, Winair, Liberty Business, Copa Airlines, and Snap SXM are among the businesses contributing to making SMART 2026 a success.