TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Great aerial of St Maarten

I haven't been to Pinel in years, but that video makes me want to go back. Kim Sha, not so much.

I agree with you on both counts..

I will go to Kim Sha but only on non cruise days. Can't wait to get back on Pinel. One of my favorites.

Too bad this video doesn't show the people still living in tents.

Why would you want to see that? The folks making these professional videos are trying to get the point across that you can come here and have a good time. If you want to see the devastation again and again, there are plenty videos of that too on FB, in the newspaper.

Correct. A "highlight" video is just that, to make it look as appealing as possible and to promote people coming. The more people the island can attract, the better things should become for everyone. At least in theory.

There is a tremendous amount of people out there, looking at videos from months ago, believing that the island(s) are still fully destroyed. This is a great way to shine some light on life moving forward on sxm. Now are theses promos realistic, that's for you to deside once you get there.

It's not a point of WANTING to see that. The point is it only showed the best. Monies are spent to please tourists while people still suffer. Yes, tourism may help restore economy but the money is not going where it should.

I could be wrong, but I don't think this video was paid for by government. Regardless, we all know that SXM is a totally tourist-based economy. And the ONLY thing that will revive that economy in the long run is for the tourists to return. And showing videos of people living in tents is not going to entice tourists to return. While the Dutch government and the World Bank and the SXM government stand around doing nothing, entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running and encourage tourists to visit. Hopefully the long awaited government aid will come to the people of SXM soon, but the long term survival of the island and its people is based on tourists returning.

Well said Carol! And no matter where this video is coming out of (Government or not) the funds spent to create this beautiful video are pennies compared to the amount of money that will come to SXM and its economy via tourism.

Then I apologize.

I was just recalling the 13 people we spoke to that came to Sxm based upon a video they saw. Some didn't even know the island had been devastated by a hurricane. Some were from cruise ships and said it didn't matter because there were other islands and the cruise ship. But four people we spoke to we very upset that an agent had led them to believe all was well on the island when it is not. We urged them to venture out and "spread the wealth" to speed recovery. One of them told us curtly that they were on vacation not there to give aid and that they'd chosen the wrong island on which to spend hard earned money to find lack of TV, internet, cell service where they stayed.

Nothing we could say would change their minds. They felt they had been misled. And at the moment I watched the video I could understand what they felt.

Any "agent" misleading anyone is not right but people should do some homework themselves before blindly booking a trip to an island they have no knowledge of. If they were misled, it is not a direct reflection on SXM but either an uninformed agent an unscrupulous agent, or both. It would likely leave a bad taste in their mouths but I doubt a video showing people living in tents would have made its way to them if they were unaware of the hurricane damage.

Then they must live under a rock. It's up to travelers to do their homework before visiting ANY island, country, or tourist spot. At least IMHO.

With that being said, we loved the video. So nice to see something positive and all the hard work coming to fruition. As Elaine said, lots of other info online about the damages and/or progress if one takes the time to look.

"Then they must live under a rock. It's up to travelers to do their homework before visiting ANY island, country, or tourist spot."

That is for sure!! It's amazing and a bit frightening the amount of ignorance and stupidity that's out there!! Fingers can be pointed but it's no ones fault but their own to be so ill informed. Eventually it can lead them to harms way.

My thought exactly that this person I was talking to lived "under a rock." They asked me if I knew if there had been a fire or something at that hotel at the end of the boardwalk. My reply was exactly haven't you heard about the hurricane? They said yes but they were told there hadn't been much damage. They then added that they'd taken a cruise because all the hotels were booked. I told them---not booked but destroyed.

This video posted here was also sent to me in an email from Divi with a note that the island was back to normal and they were booking for May 2018.
Yes one should always do their homework but some people like to have an agent do it for them. Either they don't have the time or the knowledge.These people don't come to sites like this to get information. I too have been excited about a deal too good to be true and found the place looked better in photos.

I love this video and for those people who have vacationed on SXM in the past this might be the tipping point to consider returning sooner than later. We will be there next Saturday and can’t wait!

Thanks for sharing....Cathy

"These people don't come to sites like this to get information."

Understood. But Irma was all over the TV, radio, newspapers. One would have to hide in a closet to not get at least some of that information. Certainly if 'I' were traveling to a Caribbean island that had been hit by a hurricane (they said they had been told about it), I certainly would have done more research. But I guess not everyone does that. It's a shame they had an agent who was less than honest with them.

"It's a shame they had an agent who was less than honest with them."
Some people just don't listen to what is said sometimes. They only hear what they want to hear and block out what they don't want to hear.

Im sorry, but the whole idea of traveling anywhere on this planet and not having a foundation of what to expect upon arrival and during your visit is nothing but carelessness and ultimately dangerous!! if your using a travel agent, you need to ask the right questions and still do research on where your traveling to and staying at. With today's technology, there is no one to blame but yourself for being an ignorant traveler..

Totally agree. That was my original point.