A Japanese couple was charged $480 for a simple lunch. It made the worldwide news. But thankfully, it happened in Rome, Italy, and not on our island. We are proud to report that this kind of rip-off would never happen in St. Maarten - St. Martin (as long as you check the price of the bottle of wine before you order). There are not many tourist traps on St. Maarten/St-Martin.
The island is blessed with a relatively affluent population, with consumption habits similar to the ones of our visitors. St-Maarteners go out for dinner, enjoy upscale shopping, and they love to party. The buying power of the locals is a stabilizing factor for the island's entertainment industry and keeps the prices in check. If they want to be somewhat busy in summer (off-season), they must stay reasonably priced during the winter months so as not to lose the goodwill of the local crowd.
Beer as a Price Gauge
Liquor is cheap and profitable. Bar owners know that they might get away with charging $5 for a beer to a visitor from New York. But they also know that they would be abandoned by the locals one Happy Hour later. That's why beer in a bar should not cost more than $4; most places serve it for $2. If the price approaches $5, look out for other signs that you are in a tourist trap.
Fake TripAdvisor Reviews
Notoriously unreliable are restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor. Hurricane Irma in 2017 was a severe business interruption and caused many businesses to disappear. Yet one year later, we find glowing TripAdvisor reviews about restaurants that were completely flattened by Irma. It became evident that these places had commissioned fake reviews to push them up in ratings, and that the contracted party to produce such reviews was not informed in time about the destruction of their client's property.
Wrong Labels
We don't like incorrect names for attractions and activities; if a visitor books a zip line adventure in a rainforest, there should be a rainforest. No matter how glorious the installation of the zip line is, the business should be honest and explain that the customer will only see dry brush. Or say nothing. But what about the name of Loterie Farm (this is the correct, ancient spelling), the location of the island's original zip line, which actually goes through the only remaining rainforest on St-Martin? It's not a farm, is this also wrong advertising? No. It has been a farm in earlier centuries, and this is why the original name is still applicable.
Short Term Visitors Exploited
It turns out that resort and vacation rental guests have a low risk of being exploited through tourist traps. It is the cruise ship passengers who are taken advantage of, but the villains here are mostly the cruise lines. They sell the cruises for minimum prices, only to bleed their passengers of all remaining cash while onboard. The cruise lines market the excursions but bully the local providers into paying up to 50% commissions. With such a high fee, it becomes virtually impossible to create a product that reasonably reflects the price. A bus trip from the cruise ship terminal to Kim Sha Beach in Simpson Bay costs $70 - a modest lunch included. Wouldn't the first-time visitor, who stays only for a few hours, be better advised to enjoy the cleaner water at Great Bay Beach in Philipsburg (for free) and have lunch at one of the great beach bars there?
Cruise Line Marketing Tricks
Certain retailers pay exorbitant fees to the cruise lines to be their officially recommended partner. These marketing charges have to be added to the price of the products they sell. Cruise ship passengers following the advice of the onboard orientation are not getting the best deals in town, that much is certain.
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