TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin France to ban smoking on beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1

France to Ban Beach Smoking

Wonder what impact this will have on. beaches on French side?

Hopefully the same as in France.

Seems hard to enforce unless Gendarmerie are patrolling the beach handing out fines. Would be nice but who knows 🤷‍♂️

Maybe also up to the restaurant operators where smoking is always prevalent!

The gendarmerie should stick to patrolling to prevent crime and hunt down the bad guys.

As for France banning smoking, I have never seen more young people, especially women, smoking as I saw in 2023. Just about every cafe. But I guess the beach sounds like a place for more laws to snag somebody.

I cant imagine it will be in effect in st Martin on public beaches. I just hate it in restaurants when I'm eating my food though especially cigars.

Cigars should never be allowed in a restaurant. Beach OK depending on wind direction.

Smoking is down quite a bit. During my last two trips to SXM I saw only two smokers, and I had commented on that to my friends back home. This is good. My father had smoked cigars occasionally, but it never bothered me.

@Cincinnati_Kid - I don't know which places you went to, but my last trip to SXM I thought that smoking had become even more prevalent. I had to move twice in Quai 58 because smokers lit up upwind of me (I'm an ex-smoker). Then in the street and at bars/restaurants in Grand Case and Simpson Bay as well. You were lucky.

IMHO, I don't think the owners could care less about enforcing this, should it come to the French side beaches. Anything that keeps smokers from coming to there beaches is not going to happen!! The gendarmerie have better things to do than slapping the wrists of people smoking on the beach!!

They don't control smoking in the restaurants or bars let alone thinking of the beaches.

Zanshin I totally agree. We were there for the month of January & they were smoking like it was a cure. So many chain smokers in restaurants it was incredible. Gotta love it they're smoking waiting for meal then eat & light right back up again! Absolutely no respect for other people gagging on their smoke while eating their meal especially cigars. Noticeably quite a few women smoking those little cigars.

It cân be a aggravation smelling cig and cigar smoke blowing down the beach but understand on some people like smoking anywhere they want. Let see what happens.

Anything that facilitates less smoking is a good thing though I can imagine enforcement will be an issue. We are currently in the French Riviera and as non-smokers, outside patio/terrace dining in France (or anywhere in Europe for that matter) is problematic with smokers ruining the dining experience for everyone else.

The outdoor areas of cafes and bar - known as terrasses - will be exempt from the ban, she said.
Vautrin explained that breaking the rules would incur a €135 (£113; $153) fine.

I guess that means the entirety of the beach bar/restaurants will remain as smoking establishments since they are outdoors!

And I doubt anyone will be implementing/enforcing the fines on the beach.

Exactly .. For those of us that enjoy out door dining , this law is meaningless.