The Tourism Exit survey covered a sample of all tourists leaving St. Maarten on either cruise vessels or commercial planes. As this survey objective was to obtain the purpose and measure the economic activity of tourists within the island, it was crucial to define visitor consumption, determine the period of purchase that is measured, and distinguish between the goods and services purchased.

The 2022 population census for St. Maarten revealed a steady growth trend, indicating an increase in the island's population compared to previous years. Additionally, the census highlighted demographic shifts, including changes in age distribution and ethnic composition, providing valuable insights for future planning and resource allocation.

The Tourism Exit survey covered a sample of all tourists visiting St. Maarten by means other than via commercial vessels and private yachts. In this case, focus was placed particularly on tourists that left the island by aircraft via the Princess Juliana International Airport. According to the WTO (2001), tourism is defined as the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.

The focus of this section is on the stay-over visitors in which St. Maarten’s overall stay-over arrivals will be covered. In addition, this section presents the results of the expenditure and satisfaction surveys that were conducted at the Princess Juliana International Airport in 2021. The surveys took place in May, August, and December 2021.