PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Statistics (STAT) of Sint Maarten recently conducted a working visit to L’Institut Territorial de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (ITSEE) of Saint-Martin to explore opportunities for closer collaboration and to strengthen statistical cooperation between both sides of the island.
Discussions focused on enhancing collaboration in key areas, including Tourism Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Inflation, the Labor Force Survey, and the Household Budget Survey. Both institutions also exchanged views on methodologies and best practices to improve the quality, comparability, and reliability of data produced on the island.
A key outcome of the meeting was the recognition of the importance of potential areas for information sharing, particularly regarding visitors who stay on the French side or vice versa. By working together, both institutions aim to develop a more comprehensive understanding of tourism flows across the island, including future analysis of visitor spending and satisfaction patterns. This would allow for more accurate insights into how much visitors spend on different parts of the island, based on aggregated survey data.
The collaboration will also support comparisons of price levels using the basket of goods used in CPI calculations, providing a clearer picture of inflation and cost-of-living differences between the two sides. In addition, both parties discussed opportunities to compare and analyze socio-economic data from the Population Census and labor market indicators to better understand cross-border dynamics and support evidence-based policymaking.
This partnership is expected to yield important benefits for both Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin. By combining efforts, both sides will be able to produce more complete and consistent data, leading to improved policy coordination, stronger economic analysis, and better-informed decision-making for governments, businesses, and the public. It also positions the island as a leading example of cross-border statistical cooperation within the region.
Further discussions also highlighted the potential to expand cooperation into additional areas, including joint publications, capacity building, sharing tools and systems for data collection and processing, and developing environmental and economic statistics.
It is important to note that during this meeting, no personal data was shared. Both institutions agreed that future collaboration will not involve the exchange of personal or identifiable information but will be strictly limited to aggregated data derived from surveys and statistical outputs.
Both STAT and ITSEE intend to continue discussions to formalize this collaboration and identify concrete next steps. This initiative marks an important step toward a more integrated statistical framework for the island, supporting sustainable development and improved outcomes for all residents.
For more information, please contact: Department of Statistics (STAT)/ITSEE
