St. Maarten Private Eye

It is interesting that you should mention this notion of "high end tourism" that keeps popping up. Most other tourist destinations are happy to get any kind of foreign money spent on their destinations. St Martin/St Maarten wants the high end tourism. On what merits?

I often think about this when I drive from Marigot to Simpson Bay through Cole Bay. The road gets narrower and crappier, the suage smell after the rain gets more intense. I look at the buildings coming out from Cole Bay driving towards Wellfare Road. I often think to myself: "high end tourism, I am sure the rich and famous would love this".

One has to remember that we can't lock up the high end tourists at their resorts and blind fold them on their way to the airport. They see exactly what we see, and I am sorry to say, St Martin/St Maarten aint no St Tropez.