Cathy (street vendor at the Marigot market):
“I’ve been on the market since 2013, so I’ve noticed the difference since the Gastronomy Festival started. The problem is that we have to pack everything up at 17 p.m., so we don’t really take advantage of the time. Festival-goers mainly come to do tastings or visit the venues, but they don’t buy much. Fortunately, we were able to keep our location during the Festival because initially, the music scene was supposed to take over the market square. We were asked to set up further away, in the parking lot, which wasn’t good for business. But after negotiating with the Collectivité, we were allowed to stay on the square.”
Jennifer (restaurateur):
“I opened this restaurant two years ago, two months before the second edition of the Gastronomy Festival. It was a real boost for me. People were able to quickly get to know my poke bowl concept, which was still new on the island two years ago. With the Festival stands set up right in front of my restaurant, I welcome a lot of visitors: chefs, security teams, technicians and competition participants. This also allows me to offer menus linked to the Festival every year. I imagine new recipes, dishes and desserts in which we find the flagship ingredient of the Festival.”
sakina (saleswoman):
“Every year, the Festival is not very beneficial for the merchants of Marigot, since all the roads are closed. They should organize the Festival in the center rather than on the waterfront. That would allow the locals to work by bringing people to the merchants. So, there were people, that's for sure, but for us it was catastrophic, since no one could pass in the street for more than a week. The visitors who come for the Festival did not represent a clientele for us. Sometimes, we even close a little earlier at this time. In addition, for three months, the street lamps have been broken, so even if we wanted to stay open later, it becomes dangerous to stay after dark.”
https://faxinfo.fr/en/micro-trottoir-quel-impact-le-festival-de-la-gastronomie-a-t-il-eu-sur-votre-quotidien/
