Saint-Barthélemy
Located in the northern Caribbean, Saint-Barthélemy is a prestigious destination on a par with the likes of Gstaad, Portofino, Costa Smeralda, and the Principality of Monaco. Surrounded by islands that attract a select clientèle, such as Anguilla, Saba, and Barbuda, “Saint-Barts” has successfully carved out its niche market despite the competitive landscape. It has emerged as a model of tourism success.
Without a doubt, the island’s distinctive topography has played a major role, with a jagged coastline featuring numerous small coves lined with pristine white sand beaches and a rugged landscape offering privacy and seclusion, thus increasing the options for retreat.
Tourism has transformed life on this small island spanning 21 km2 inhabited for more than three centuries by a population originally from Normandy, Brittany, Vendée and Poitiers. Saint-Barthélemy was “discovered” by famous figures who introduced the destination to a wider audience. Rémy de Haenen (1916-2008), a sort of adventurer who later became the Mayor of Saint-Barts, bought the small rocky outcrop that divides Saint-Jean beach in two for a pittance. In the 1950s, he built the Eden Rock hotel, attracting celebrities such as Greta Garbo and Robert Mitchum. In the early 1960s, the Rockefeller family bought a property, followed by Edmond de Rothschild. Still, in the 1950s, the islanders lived frugally, engaged in subsistence farming and combating recurring droughts. Guy Lasserre noted in his 1961 thesis that
“Life in Saint-Barts is one of complete calm. […] Distractions are scarce: no cinemas, libraries, or sports fields” (p. 870).
Faced with the challenging living conditions, the people of Saint-Barthélemy had little choice but to emigrate, particularly to the American Virgin Islands, thus explaining the stability of the population in the first half of the 20th century. Up until the 1960s, the migratory balance remained negative, and it was not until the end of the 1970s, thanks to the development of tourism, that it became largely positive. In addition to the many people from mainland France who settled on the island, the 1980s saw an influx of Portuguese workers in the construction industry, many of whom set down roots on the island after marrying locals. Today, this community represents about one-third of the population. It has become a key player in the commercial sector. After reaching a demographic low of 2,000 inhabitants in 1954, the population of Saint Barthélemy has since increased fivefold to 10,000 inhabitants today.
Tourism development in Saint Barthélemy involved the entire community, which engaged in this venture cautiously and in a very cohesive manner. Control of the land has provided the basis for exemplary tourist growth regulated by the city council. The 1986 tax incentive law did not achieve the same results as in the rest of the French Caribbean. The municipality has frozen all new hotel projects since the early 1990s, and many building permits for houses are also on hold. In this tourism development, a division of the workforce has emerged between the locals and people from mainland France. The inhabitants of Saint Barts have sold land or built houses to rent. People from mainland France have been behind the development of the hotel industry.
Today, there are two main types of commercial accommodation: on the one hand, small hotels offering a total of nearly 600 luxury rooms in 2021, with 40%, classed as five-star (see photo); on the other hand, 830 high-end villas, together offering more than 2,300 rooms, mostly rented out by foreign owners. Overlooking the sea, these villas generally have infinity pools with a deck and tastefully designed interiors that mirror the affluent and discreet clientèle. The port regularly welcomes yachts and hosts events such as “Les Voiles de Saint-Barth”, an annual regatta which is a major event on the island, the same as Bucket Regatta, which attracts many magnificent sailboats. These two events are completed by the St Barts Gourmet Festival, which attracts some of the world’s leading chefs.
The St Barts tourism product combines the beach, shopping and gastronomy. In the space of a week, it is possible to swim at a different spot every day if you are tired of the pool; there are secluded areas for naturism in some of the quieter coves (see photo); afternoons can be spent sipping cocktails by the waterside in an Ibiza-style atmosphere to the sound of techno music and in the company of glamorous people… Gustavia, the capital, offers duty-free products by luxury brands, but also has a variety of more conventional shops selling T-shirts and souvenirs, catering to the daily influx of cruise passengers and excursionists. However, unlike most Caribbean islands, large cruise ships cannot dock here and are concentrated around Sint Maarten, about 40 km away. Over 1,200 passengers, an authorisation is required from the local authorities. The company must submit this request one year in advance, and there is no guarantee that it will be granted.
The length of the airport runway (only 650 m) is inversely proportional to the wealth of the tourists who use it (see photo). Johnny Halliday, who is buried there, Bill Gates, Princess Diana, Brad Pitt, Rihanna, John Travolta and Madonna have all visited the island. For the past four decades, St Barts has had a unique set of features in overseas France: high security, extremely clean, good accessibility via Sint Maarten international airport a 15-minute flight away, top-notch accommodation and a distinctly French touch which sets it apart from its direct and nearby competitors. There are about 70 varied and renowned restaurants much appreciated by North Americans. There are also excellent catering services with a range of services, provided at home or aboard boats, from private chefs to hairdressers and manicurists.
But does this make Saint-Barts a “Saint-Tropez of the Caribbean,” as some like to say? The answer is far from certain. Of course, you can sometimes encounter a few Porsche Cayennes or Boxsters on the island’s narrow, winding, concrete roads. It is also true that someone from Saint-Tropez opened the Sereno Hotel in 1980, bringing with him the jet-set crowd from the famous Provencal resort, including Eddie Barclay and Henri Salvador. But, clubbing enthusiasts may be rather disappointed despite some great spots such as Nikki Beach in Saint-Jean Bay and the Yacht Club in Gustavia (see photo). If there is a social project in the spatial organisation of Saint-Barts, it is one of discretion. VIPs tend to look for anonymity there, with the island’s remote location and the high cost of accommodation acting as effective filters. Behind the gates of the luxurious properties that can be rented for several tens of thousands of euros per week, there is a sense of exclusivity.
Business is thriving, and in the mid-2010s, the island’s GDP per capita was more than 15% higher than that of mainland France and double that of Réunion. In 2021, the island recorded 165,000 arrivals via sea and air, compared to more than 270,000 in 2019. To achieve these numbers, it was necessary to solve several problems, the main one being the availability of fresh water. Low rainfall and limited underground resources have led to the desalination of seawater. Today, there are four desalination plants which are essential for keeping pace with demographic and tourism growth.
With a very high rate of activity and a very low unemployment rate (about 4%), Saint-Barthélemy is an exception among France’s overseas regions. A third of the jobs are in the hospitality and catering sector, completed by a very high density of small businesses in service provision, villa management, and cleaning activities. There are many difficulties in hiring staff, particularly as a result of the housing problem for seasonal staff in the hospitality sector, which struggles increasingly to attract potential workers who find it hard to find accommodation, however, more accommodation options are now available in the post-COVID era. There are social tensions among the youth of Saint-Barthélemy, who struggle to find housing and are often forced to emigrate.
Such progress has been made since the days when this small, impoverished dependency of Guadeloupe, largely overlooked by France, and the establishment of the overseas collectivity (COM) in 2007, which allowed it to separate administratively from Guadeloupe! This island now enjoys fiscal autonomy and far-reaching customs powers as a result of its status as an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) since 2012. Only being associated with the European Union rather than fully integrated like the Outermost Regions (OR), EU law does not apply here, which helped to make the island accessible to North Americans in 2021. Although Hurricane Irma caused a great deal of damage in September 2017, tourists returned in 2019. The same has been true with the COVID-19 pandemic. From October 2021, for the start of the high season which corresponds to the driest months, the number of tourists had returned to satisfactory levels with the return of American visitors. In 2019, these visitors accounted for more than half of all tourists, compared to a quarter from France. The remaining guests come from a variety of locations, with a large number of South Americans, particularly from Brazil. Two-thirds of tourists stay for one to two weeks, but one in six visitors spends more than three weeks on the island, indicating the high level of satisfaction with this unique destination, which has a very loyal clientèle.
Bibliography
- Benoist Jean, 1989, «Saint-Barthélemy: racines et destin d’une population» in Singaravelou (dir.), Pauvreté et développement dans les pays tropicaux. Hommage à Guy Lasserre, Pessac, CEGET-CRET, 588 p., p. 305-318. Online
- Chardon Jean-Pierre. et Hartog Thierry, 1995, «Saint-Barthélemy: un choix et ses limites», Les Cahiers d’Outre-Mer, n° 191, p. 261-276. Online
- Cousin Bruno et Chauvin Sébastien, 2012, «L’entre-soi élitaire à Saint-Barthélemy», Ethnologie française, vol. 42, n° 2, p. 335-345.
- Dehoorne Olivier, 2007, «Le tourisme dans l’espace caribéen. Logiques des flux et enjeux de développement», Téoros, vol. 26, n° 1, p. 6-14. Online
- Gay Jean-Christophe, 2009, Les Cocotiers de la France. Tourismes en outre-mer, Paris, Belin, 136 p.
- IEDOM, 2022, Saint-Barthélemy, rapport annuel 2021, Paris, 128 p.
- Lasserre Guy, 1961, La Guadeloupe, Bordeaux, UIF, 448 + 687 p.
- Theng Sopheap, 2014, «L’île de Saint-Barthélemy (Petites Antilles): une destination du tourisme de luxe», Études caribéennes, n° 27-28. Online.