Great question and a few subsequent comments have vaguely tried to respond to this, but bottom line - no one on here seems to know why these actions have been taken. Did "Government officials just took it upon themselves to act." Really? How naïve!

Why do we not see postings from any of the business owners with clear statements from the French authorities as to why they have taken several actions? Have none of them called to get an answer why these anti-nudity actions are being enacted? Between TTOL, Facebook, EverythingSXM, and other sites, do you believe we have no leverage that they'd want to use?

In other words, the government has mysteriously taken action that hurts some businesses and many visitors, and those businesses don't know why, haven't called to find out why, and don't seem to care about getting anyone involved? (Reminds many, I’m sure, of the Caravanserai situation as just another example of how the business owners don't care a lick about tourist concerns, right?)

Facts show SXM tourism is down significantly. Last 5 years - Jamaica tourism is up 14%, DR 18%, Belize 20%, Caymans 14%, Cuba 22%, Puerto Rico 21%, Aruba 18%, St Lucia 8%, Mexico Caribbean Coast 43%. Saint Martin is a decline of 1.7%! (OneCaribbeanWorld.org)

Yes, people are finding other places to go, especially younger people and especially as evidenced by the growth in the Mexico Caribbean basin. Again, we need to ask why. Sure, crime, drugs, traffic, etc impact it, but those are common factors to Mexico and all the other islands that are showing high growth rates.

One thing is, SXM had a special allure for years, one that captivated the hearts of people similar to those of you who are TTOL regulars. For many, the allure of Club O and the French permission for beach toplessness was one of the differentiating factors from those other islands, and it brought MANY visitors. For many nudists, without it, SXM is just another island with its own pros and cons. The crackdowns at Orient and overall French side attitude have caused many friends we’ve made in past years on Orient to say they’re not going back to SXM anymore. Actions like this Tintamere ban are individually insignificant maybe, but cumulatively, they simply accelerate the exodus to other islands. Our next visit in March will determine whether we move on from SXM. Cancelling our Tiko Tiko day of freedom will give us time to reflect on SXM in general. We'll also be trying to figure out what we did out there in years past that was SO offensive to all! Gees! Each year, I pay a few $100 to have a boat carry my wife and me way out in the ocean away from people to a deserted island where no one can see us, but now I'm going to be an arrested sex offender?? Wow, I'm sorry we offended so many!

Its obvious that the SXM tourist industry doesn’t care about us nasty, naked, disgusting tourists that absolutely ruined SXM and, God forbid, Tintamere. At least without us, SXM will be able to revert back to its pure and all-natural state of existence. Gee, it just hit me, THAT's the point!!

Otherwise, Nero fiddled while Rome burned.