Tiny Caribbean territory offers cash, plane tickets and a hotel stay to fight brain drain

This undated photo provided by The St. Maarten/St. Martin Tourism Bureaus shows people relaxing and swimming on Oyster Beach on the island of St. Martin in the northeast Caribbean. (AP Photo/St. Martin Tourism Bureau)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten is offering cash, plane tickets and an extended hotel stay to attract professionals and students back home.

Prime Minister Luc Mercelina announced this week that married couples would get US$2,000 and single people $1,100 for a relocation allowance, as well as economy-class plane tickets, a six-week stay at a hotel and large containers to transport their belongings.

Families also would get $140 per child, he said Wednesday evening.

Mercelina also said the government would offer a salary adjustment allowance in certain cases and help cover a portion of student loans for those who move back to the territory.

The offers aim to reduce a shortage of skilled professionals on St. Maarten, a territory of some 46,000 people with a net migration rate of 5.7 migrants per 1,000 persons, ranking 16th worldwide.

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The Associated Press