Why is St. Barts so special?

Having traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean over many years, we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly conditions. Honestly, it represents the true example of the “Haves & the Have Nots”. There is a lot that other Caribbean Islands can learn from how the island of St. Barts operates.

St. Barts has no Cruise Ships or Large Resorts

When a cruise ship visits an island it goes into port and thousands of passengers get off the ship. They generally might take a tour, buy a few shirts, and have some ice cream. This does little if anything to the economy of the island. This transfers very little, if any, revenue to the locals.

So many islands welcome the large resorts as a means of generating revenue for the island. However, when you take a close look at how the resorts operate it does very little to encourage guests to spend money outside their protective walls. The resorts offer all-inclusive packages for room, meals, and activities. This means the guests are not going to want to step outside the walls and explore other opportunities. The resorts even build these massive walls around their facilities to make the guests believe they’re safe from the locals.

The resorts also have their own property management staff such as electricians, plumbers, pool maintenance crew, and any other property management service. Not exactly a platform that supports local services.

Do Cruise ships and resorts support local communities?

The cruise ship port in St. Maarten

The cruise ship and large resort business models are based on capturing as much of the guest’s money as possible. The platform does not encourage the guests to spend money in the local community. The majority of the money goes back into the resort or cruise ship company. Is it really worth the damage to the environment?

St. Barts is a Villa Based Platform

When a guest rent a villa their money gets transferred to the complete menu of services and products on the island: car rental, gas, food provisions, restaurants, entertainment, and activities. This puts the money right into the hands of the local community.

Villa owners also required private support of the properties that include: electricians, plumbers, painters, landscapers, appliance repair services, pool installation/service, roofers, a/c services, and housekeepers. This provides opportunities for the locals to operate their own businesses.

With locals having more opportunities to earn a reasonable living means a higher quality of life for everyone. We certainly hope other islands will stop and think before they encourage more resorts and cruise ships.