They have come to spend their vacation in St. Maarten and can predominantly be found in Maho. Most of them fulfill the stereotype of not being really interested in the island, its history and characteristics. They are pleased as long as they have their fun, the service is right and the planes land and take off on schedule.

Iris and Henry crossed the Atlantic in their small boat in 1986. Their idea was to earn a living in a somewhat different way. Thus, they are active in the charter yacht business with their own yacht and have experienced the rapid development of this industry, and particularly the nascent of the area around Simpson Bay, at first hand.

Andrew Patrick from Statia is head of the land registry of Sint Maarten in Philipsburg. He takes pride in his finds from the archive: old books, maps and registries from the times of plantations and slavery. He fears that the current trend will lead to the traditional culture being replced by concrete blocks.

Olivier, owner of two restaurants in Paris, actually wanted to circumnavigate the world in 1978. However, this led him to the bay of Oyster Pond. He decided to establish a marina and a restaurant there. Neither the internal border nor the ridicule for developing such a remote spot were able to dissuade him.

The Englishwoman has been living on the island since 1989 and used to work in the hotel industry. Now her husband and she rent out many of the buildings in Oyster Pond. Despite her experiences with hurricans she is unable to imagine a return to life in Europe, but instead extols the quality of life between her free-ranging animals and Saint Martin's cosmopolitan characteristics.

Originally from Berlin, the family ended up in French Quarter, where they are every day confronted with the problems so typical of the island. They earn their living through flying, conducting tours around the island with cruise passengers, and the running of a German restaurant in one of the natives' quarters.

It was a vacation that brought Alex from his native country France and his home in Canada to Saint Martin. He was so taken with the lifestyle in Grand Case that he has now been working there for several years as a waiter. Thus, he is able to work in the sunshine, live in a quarter where the colour of your skin does not matter and he can enjoy his beloved water sports just outside his front door.

David is a real nature guy and leads groups through the unspoilt hills of the island's interior. Since David needed a life in nature, he moved from France to Saint Martin - but also in the knowledge that he does not have to do without anything on this so developed island.

Lydia was born in Saint Martin and has just established her own business - an advertising agency. In her charming and entertaining manner she knows a lot about Marigot, and, as a true native, naturally also much about life on the rest of the island.

After more than 20 years apart, the German sisters arrived from New York and Hamburg respectively to be finally reunited in Saint Martin. Here they cherish the quietude of the Terres Basses and their studio in the open. They are able to dedicate themselves to their ambitious painting almost without interruptions.

Her husband's enrolment in medical school was the reason for the American Terra to come to St Maarten and Cupecoy. She commits herself socially to other student families and spends a lot of her time in this settlement undergoing change.