Bouncing back from Hurricane Luis

St. Maarten

Author: By Stephen Kurkjian, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, March 31, 1996

Page: B1

Section: Travel

On Philipsburg, the capital and commercial hub of the Dutch side of this Caribbean island, the uniformed schoolchildren have been dropped off for their morning classes, and the shops, restaurants and casinos along Front Street are ready for the influx that is about to arrive.

They have come for what tourists have always sought out on Caribbean islands -- warm weather, beautiful beaches and stores that supply everything from endless supplies of T-shirts and souvenirs to fine jewelry and expensive electronic gear.

Six months after Hurricane Luis swept through the island with winds of killing proportions, there are only a few reminders of the storm's devastation that caused an estimated $500 million in damage. Three of the island's major hotels have still not reopened, clumps of debris still clutter yards and alleyways, and much of Front Street is still dark at night because the street lights haven't been replaced.

But from a superhuman cleanup effort, augmented with millions of dollars in direct financial assistance and manpower from their host governments, the Netherlands and France, the two sides of the island are back in business. The restaurants and casinos have reopened, the beaches have been cleaned up and the harbors filled with sail- and fishing boats ready for rental and charter.

Although deeper problems, such as raising the standard of living for the island's natives and making the island an upscale tourist site, remain, the immediate picture is bright: The number of tourists who are coming to St. Maarten is, as with the rest of the Caribbean, returning to peak levels.

Booking for the summer season is entering the lull that seems to come during every US presidential campaign, but the number of tourists coming to the islands for the first three months of 1996 is above last year's mark. That is a relief to the countless people who survive on the tourist trade throughout the Caribbean.

``It should come as no surprise that after going through the worst hurricane season in 50 years that we were all very worried about whether people would come back,'' said Richard S. Kahn of the Caribbean Tourist Association.

``We could have done everything humanly possible to get back in shape, which we did. But if people found other places to go while we were getting back on our feet, it would have been a bad blow to business,'' Kahn said.

The most recent statistics, Kahn said, show that instead of abandoning the Caribbean completely, tourists avoided the islands that were hit worst by last fall's hurricanes. As a result, those headed for St. Maarten, Antigua, the US Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix simply switched to other sites, including Grenada, Bonaire, Cayman Islands and Barbados.

Which doesn't say much about individual attractions of the various Caribbean islands.

But while the true devotees may rave about the elegance of St. Barthelemy, the native charm of Grenada, the festivals in Puerto Rico, the house-touring in Barbados, the snorkeling in St. Lucia or Anguilla, the vacation deals in Aruba, the sailing off North Sound in Virgin Gorda or the restaurants on the French side of St. Martin, no matter which Caribbean setting you visit, you are probably going to return sated, relaxed, tanned and likely planning your next visit to the same island, if not the same hotel or cruise line that you just returned from.

With some packages offering weeklong stays on the islands for less than $1,000, it is easy to understand why an estimated 5 million US tourists sought out a Caribbean vacation last year. Dispatched suddenly to St. Maarten to meet a looming deadline, I was unable to take advantage of any tourist packages and wound up paying $180 a night for a beachside room at the Great Bay Beach Hotel and Casino. It turned out to be a bargain, as most beachside rooms were going to $200 and more.

My pangs of guilt intensified when I heard that Boston was gripped in the worst weather of the winter. I decided to work it off through some competition -- sailing competition. Several 12-meter yachts that have competed in past America Cup races are now available for daily rentals in Philipsburg. For $65, you get to serve as a deckhand on one of the boats as it engages in a cup-type race.

The regatta, which has been in operation since 1989, has been voted the Caribbean's ``top shore excursion'' by cruise-ship captains. A few hours on the boat provides some idea of the enjoyment and physical demands that such racing requires. Winding feverishly on the yacht's ``primary grinder'' to keep the main sail in place allowed me to learn the most important rule of sailing -- following orders and following them quickly.

Participating also provided the opportunity for a closer view of the cruise ships that arrive almost daily to St. Maarten and ponder the effect they are having on Caribbean tourism. At last estimate, about 20 percent of the more than 800,000 tourists visiting St. Maarten are coming aboard cruise ships, and the percentage is growing.

These tourists are less likely to be spending their money on hotel rooms or fine restaurants -- since both are provided by their cruise ships -- and commercial enterprises will have to keep up with the changes.

``Five years ago, when I opened up, my restaurant was filled every night for dinner,'' said the owner of a Front Street Japanese restaurant. ``Now I make my money on lunches, not dinner, because by evening time the people are back on the cruise ships.''

Concern for the economic future of the Dutch side of the island prompted the government to hold a series of meetings last year among representatives of all sectors of society. Basic issues such as unemployment, low wages, worker transportation and training have been discussed among the island's rich and poor.

``The hurricane showed us that the island must prepare to face the future,'' said Roger F. Snow, publisher of The Daily Herald, the Dutch side's daily newspaper. The fear is, Snow said, that the island could turn into a mecca for ``mass tourism,'' which means little else but fast-food restaurants, cheap souvenir shops and brightly-lit casinos. Snow does not have to look too far from his desk, overlooking Front Street, to see the first indications of that dreaded future have already taken hold in Philipsburg.

Officials on the Dutch side say Philipsburg is in tougher shape because it took the brunt of Hurricane Luis last Sept. 5. It was a furious storm with steady winds at 185 m.p.h. and gusts as high as 235, and any islander that you speak with will tell you his harrowing tale of surviving the two-day gale.

Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island, appears to have avoided the worst excesses of tacky commercialization. The shopping center is neatly laid out along the streets leading to the harbor and, unlike Phillipsburg, where the view of the water is often blocked by the stores along Front Street, Marigot had planners who made its harborfront an essential part of the city. Along its docks, dozens of pushcarts offer a variety of items for the indefatigable shopper, from beach clothing to handicraft.

If you want to get out of the midday sun, grab an ice cream and sit in the shade of Enoch's luncheonette and watch a group of elderly men play hand after hand of Belot, a card game much like Hearts.

Close by on the docks arrive daily the ferries to two other islands close to St. Maarten -- Anguilla and St. Bart's. The two provide a striking contrast to the types of vacation spots available in the Caribbean. Anguilla, about a half-hour's ferry ride away, is smaller and very flat. It is also less developed, and, beyond its resorts' restaurants and bars, has a very quiet atmosphere. One major exception is Johnno's, which Caribbean Travel & Life magazine ranked as the best bar in the islands. The dancing to live calypso and reggae bands begins in midafternoon on Sundays and was still going strong late into the evening.

On St. Bart's, meanwhile, everything is in its ordered place. It boasts many of the most exclusive resorts in the Caribbean, and I did not want to test my publisher's largesse, so I cannot tell you what a $900 suite looks like. The rest of the island, though, is exquisite: Mountainous peaks and valleys proliferate through the island, and around practically every turn in the road you get a sweeping vista of beaches and bays, or lovely cottages and estates.

After a day or two on St. Bart's, you come to understand why officials and businessmen in St. Maarten are trying so hard to find the right balance between being a profitable commercial center while avoiding the pitfalls of ``mass tourism.''

For more information, write to St. Maarten Government Tourist Office, 275 Seventh Ave., 19th Floor, New York, NY 10001-6788 or call (212) 989-0000.