TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin These numbers don't seem right

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$149 per day per person for stayover visitors, including lodging? That seems way too low to me.

I can tell you from first hand last month experience, $149 all in is a pipe dream. Hotel, car, entertaining, food, a few pops and optional casino trip. No way.

Quote from article "On average, 61% of the respondents’ money was spent on accommodations, 16% on food (groceries or dining), and 5% on rental cars."

I can believe $91 per person per day for accommodations especially when you get family groups but $23 per person per day on food... on what planet? Maybe if you only grocery shopped and ate in all meals?

The only way I see that lodging might be on point is if people are doing timeshare, at one of the less expensive places. And of course, that doesn't factor in the up front money. Yes, food is WAAAY off. And 5% for rental cars? Only if most people don't rent a car. If you do rent a car, that is $15 a couple per day for a car, or approximately $105 per week. On what planet?

The numbers don't add up. 52% on jewelry and 61% on accommodations. That's 113% without eating. Sint Maarten probably gets a big payout from cruise ship dockage but people are living and mostly eating on the ship. Accommodations are paid by people flying in and staying more than the cruise ships few hours.
This exit survey is for stay on the Dutch side? I stay on the French side. I don't recall an exit survey in the last few trips.

Clifford--I think that 52% number is for cruise ship visitors only. The numbers that other people have referred to in this thread have to do with stayover visitors.

And I don't think I have EVER personally taken any exit survey in SXM, so I have no clue where they get their numbers from.

I've done an exit survey in the airport. I can't imagine this is accurate at all. Frankly, when I did the exit survey, I just guessed at how much I spent.

Huh. Anyone else here remember taking one? I don't.

No never in all our trips

It doesn't surprise me. There was usually one or two women walking around with a clipboard.

Yes, I have, a couple of times. But that was a few years ago.

Maybe the ladies who are doing it look for friendly looking people. That would let me out!!

Carol, One would think it would leave me out too. Since anytime I am at the airport, I am pissed off....The last time I remember taking one, we were upstairs and there was not enough seating for everyone. If I recall correctly, this was after Irma.

There were ladies doing the surveys in the airport departure area last December; we declined to participate. Too bad we did, because we surely would have brought more realistic expenditures into play, lol.

Are these the same people who rank Dominos as the best pizza on the island?

No. Locals and some tourist do that by voting online.

When I read the link I thought it referred to what stay overs spend on "stuff" vs what cruise people spend. . Perhaps food, souvenirs etc. But i for one spend more than $149. on some dinners.

Every year we've been approached ( at the airport) to fill out the survey about our stay.

PS... wondering what the average time share maintenance fee might be. If it's $1000. divide that by one week, add foods cooked in unit in place of eating out, not renting a car or taking taxies then maybe that figure would be close.