I own a villa on the island and think much more about violent crime than I used to. It has recently impacted my decision as to how often I visit. I realize crime can happen everywhere, but over the past couple of years, the murder rate on St. Maarten has hovered around 20/100,000. By comparison, the per capita murder rate in Washington, DC (not thought of as one of the US's safest cities) has been 13.9/100,000.

Like it or not, people choosing where to spend their vacation dollars will accept less in terms of perceived or actual crime risk than they will at home. If the island does not do something concrete to address the issue for its residents and its visitors, those with options will likely choose to go elsewhere at some point.