TCB Worldwide | TCB - Europe Report
Winner Menzis MisMatch: "Bonaire was a fantastic experience!"
 In September last year the Dutch Insurance Company Menzis launched the viral game called Menzis MisMatch. The first prize? A trip to Bonaire for two. Last week Menzis MisMatch winner Manuela Geerts returned from her tropical holiday. She had a great time on Bonaire. She e-mailed TCB Europe and told us: "Bonaire is beautiful in so many ways. Great weather and a beautiful ocean and flora and fauna. But also the inhabitants, the culture and the food were great. I went snorkeling for the first time and it was one of the greatest experiences ever!"
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Library Bonaire is processing new books
In the end of 2007 TCB launched a campaign called 'Books for Bonaire'. People were asked to send us books for the library on Bonaire. By the end of December we shipped 40 boxes filled with books to the island. The Bonairean library has been redecorated. Old books made place for new ones. Employees of the library are almost done with processing the new books. A special corner in the library has been set aside to display the new items. Check out the images to get an impression.
 
 
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TCB Europe supports ProKids Freestyle Promo Tour
In May Elvis Martinus and his Bonairean windsurfpro's visited Europe for a couple of windsurf events. Their main goal? To promote the Pro Kids Freestyle Event that will be held on Bonaire this year. The event will take place end of July and the beginning of August. TCB Europe supported Elvis and his team. The ProKids Freestyle Promo tour got a lot of attention in newsletters, web mailings and promotion material. Elvis let us know the tour was great.
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Watch new video's on official Bonaire website
 TCB Europe started to integrate the video-project for the new official website of Bonaire: www.tourismbonaire.com. This means you can watch some spectacular videos on the website right now. We started embedding dive videos and videos that show other activities on the island. Chances are you've already heard about it. We paid a lot of attention to it in our newsletters and also in our web mailings we send to our different target groups. And with good result: statistics show a strong increase in visitors to the website.
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Tour Operators visit Bonaire
In previous montsh a couple of Dutch and European Tour Operators sent representatives to Bonaire for a site inspection. Together they went for a tour to experience our Island. They visited lots of activity sites and also took their time for some cultural sightseeing, for example in Rincon. TCB arranged the coordination of the Island tour. After two days they left with some great experiences that will help them informing the markets about Bonaire! Thanks to BONHATA, BHG en TCB for all their help!
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TCB Worldwide | New York Report
TCB-NYC In Bonaire For May Marketing Meetings
Candice Kimmel and Marie Rosa were on-island May 12-15 to attend the preliminary marketing meetings. During the meetings, Candice Kimmel presented an update of the progress that has been made on the 2008 North American Marketing Plan and Preliminary Plans for 2009. Items discussed included branding and a projection for next year’s tourism market. Additionally, Candice presented on the Small Accommodations Program including her recommendations based on research conducted among key journalists who cover the Caribbean, a budget and a sample program.
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 < International Year of the Reef Week Program Finalized; Flyer Now Available
The program for International Year of the Reef Week, taking place in Bonaire June 21-28 as part of Bonaire Dive Into Summer 2008, has been finalized and the double-sided flyer is now available online in both color (http://www.bonairedivingpro.com/iyor_flyers/bdis_flyer_iyor_1_cmyk_hr.pdf) and in black and white (http://www.bonairedivingpro.com/iyor_flyers/bdis_flyer_iyor_1_greyscale_hr.pdf). The week features dives and seminars with Jan and Alexandra Cousteau of EarthEcho International; REEF fish count dives and snorkels with Bonaire's own naturalist Jerry Ligon; interactive workshops with Bryan Dias from the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL); and a parade and food festival in the center of town at Wilhelmina Park. IYOR Week is sponsored by Sand Dollar Condominium Resort, Bonaire Dive and Adventure and Budget Car Rental. Bonaire Dive Into Summer 2008 is sponsored by Tourism Corporation Bonaire, Scuba Diving Magazine, Continental Airlines, Coral Reef Alliance, EarthEcho International, STINAPA and IYOR.
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Two Be A Diver Pool Stops Surfacing in June
The Be A Diver Pool was parked for the month of May, but Pool Manager Jeff is gearing up for two big stops in June. The first stop will be at the International Bay Festival in Wisconsin, June 13-15, and the second stop is taking place June 21-22 at the NBC Boston Health Expo. Sponsor materials for both shows will be shipped from TCB-NYC to each location, and posters promoting Bonaire Dive Into Summer will be on-site.
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Bonaire EZ
News
 One issue of Bonaire EZ News was distributed in May to our database of consumers and travel agents. The issue was distributed on the 13th and urged divers to vote for Bonaire on About.com’s “Favorite Dive Destination” poll. At last check, Bonaire was neck and neck with the Bahamas, so keep voting for Bonaire!
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Press Releases
As part of the ongoing press release program, Adams Unlimited researches, writes and prepares a steady stream of releases for mailings to the media for applicable editorial coverage based on editorial calendars and the need to disseminate timely news. In May one press release was written and distributed to the media featuring Bonaire as the recipient of the prestigious Islands Magazine/Caribbean Tourism Organization 2008 Sustainable Tourism Award.
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Press Visits
We secured the following journalists to attend International Year of the Reef Week in Bonaire June 22-29, 2008:
Nathan Borchelt is on assignment to write a series of adventure and travel articles for The Away Network which consists of Away.com (2 million unique users); GORP.com (750,000 unique users); Outside Online (450,000 unique users) and is also the content arm for Orbitz Travel. Nathan is a certified diver and in addition to covering all of the IYOR Week events, Nathan will also write about topside activities including kayaking, mountain biking and touring Washington Slagbaai National Park.
Rona Distenfeld is on assignment to write a series of eco/environmental articles for the San Antonio Express-News (circulation 350,000), which is the number one market in the USA on Sundays. Rona will also be writing articles of two popular epicurean magazines: Plate & Vine (circulation 3,000) and Spice & Trends, a quarterly insert in the newspaper. In addition to participating in the IYOR week events, Rona will be writing about the snorkeling, windsurfing, kayaking and hiking.
Theresa Storm is on assignment to write an article about eco-vacations and sustainable tourism for both the online and print additions of Modern Traveler Magazine (print circulation 150,000). Theresa will also be pitching her article to CanWest Newspapers which includes some of Canada’s top circulation newspapers including the National Post, among others. In addition to participating in the IYOR Week events, Theresa will be writing about kayaking, landsailing and bird watching.
Gerry Wingenbach is a well-known freelance travel writer published frequently in some of the top daily newspapers including the LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Chicago Tribune. In addition to writing articles about IYOR Week in Bonaire, Gerry will also be completing his PADI Open Water dive certification and writing an article about his experience.
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Editorial Highlights
Newsday (circulation 464,169)
Bonaire was featured on the front page of the travel section of the May 4, 2008 issue of Newsday. In a column titled “The Virtual Traveler,” readers were directed to www.newsday.com/travel to see videos about the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Browse to the website for more information.
Scuba Diving (circulation 185,000)
Bonaire was featured in the June 2008 edition of Scuba Diving Magazine for receiving NOAA’s designation as having “arguably the most pristine reef environment in the Caribbean.” The article is accompanied by a color photo of Bonaire’s coral reef inhabited by a variety of beautiful fish. This article is not available online.
Caribbean Travel & Life (circulation 155,000)
Bonaire is highlighted in the May 2008 issue of Caribbean Travel & Life, in an article about cooking with rum titled “Rum: It’s What’s for Dinner.” The section about appetizers begins with shrimp-and-pineapple skewers from Lion’s Den in Bonaire, which are made with dark rum and honey, a pairing that head chef Kirk Gosden says strengthens the dish’s sweet flavors. In the section about meat, a honey-rum-glazed pork tenderloin from Cactus Blue is included. Chef Hagen Wergerer praises the dish for delivering “the bang I’m looking for.” This article is a direct result of Adams Unlimited’s work with Rich Rubin, a freelance journalist. Adams Unlimited would like to thank all of the chefs who submitted information for this article. This article is not available online.
Travel Agent (circulation 50,000)
Bonaire was featured in the March 31, 2008 issue of Travel Agent Magazine. The article, titled “Awesome Adventures,” features five Caribbean destinations. Bonaire is the first destination featured and is highlighted for continuing to reign as one of the world’s top dive destinations. Additionally, Bonaire is highlighted for being the Caribbean’s first IYOR partner in 1997. Bonaire’s official website is listed. This article is not available online.
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TCB Worldwide | South America Report
Venezuela has an annual growth of 54.5%
During 2007, Venezuela continued to be the market with the highest number of visitors from South America to Bonaire. Brazil with the largest diving population, maintained a stable number of arrivals. In general, all the markets reacted positively, showing the South American region with a 25% increase.
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Focus Diving groups!
Diving groups keep coming to Bonaire thanks to the promotional efforts done by the properties, diving schools, tour operators along with TCB. The groups are mainly coming from Brazil and Venezuela. Those from Venezuela are seen on island during holidays or long weekends meanwhile from Brazil staying on island for a week.
The Brazilians are high consumers. Dive shops mentions how sales increase during their stay! Host hotels: Plaza Resort, Buddy Dive, Port Bonaire, Sun Rentals, Eden Beach, Sand Dollar.
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 < Bonaire Tennis Cup - June 21st and 22nd
After consolidating the annual Bonaire Tennis Cup in Venezuela (this year arriving to its 3rd edition), some tennis players requested to have also the Cup in Bonaire.
On June 21st and 22nd at the Harbour Village Tennis Center a tennis tournament will take place among players from Venezuela, Curacao and Aruba. For more information contact Elisabeth at elisabeth@flamingotv.net the Tennis Center or Yasmin at: southamerica@tourismbonaire.com
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Press Releases
* Business Venezuela
A monthly magazine written in English directed to this important segment in Venezuela. In its April edition it ran an article on tourism in the Caribbean, Bonaire was highlighted together with Aruba, Curacao, Barbados and Dominican Republic.
The journalist Lourdes Rojas comments that the islands in the Caribbean are an invitation to stay, each with a unique beauty. White sands, turquoise waters, rest, relax and fun. The article titled Bonaire makes the difference; she describes a special island for nature lovers and eco-adventurers where many agree that it's most beautiful feature is the Marine Park. It ranks Bonaire among the top ten places of the world for Scuba divers.
Also general information about the island is given to the readers: Gastronomy, from local to international food mentioning a good list of exclusive restaurants on island.
Dutch Antilles Express airline with two daily flights from Caracas to Bonaire via Curacao and also from Valencia. Hotels mentioned are Harbour Village, Plaza Resort, Buddy Dive, Divi Flamingo, Eden Beach, and Sunrentals among others.
The article ends mentioning the most important event on Bonaire: Dive into Summer from June till September, Jazz Festival in May and the famous Regatta held in October.
* El Carabobeño Newspaper
 As a result of a press FAM, the reporter Yanelys Gonzalez wrote about Bonaire on May 09th in the tourism edition of the newspaper. Bonaire was featured in a two page spread article with attractive pictures. The articles focused mainly in diving and the beauty of the marine park but also in the other outdoor activities such as windsurfing and kite surfing very popular at Sorobon Beach. Preservation of nature in Bonaire is very important and its population is well aware of it. Also Washington Park is pointed out as a natural reserve for wild life on island. The mangroves in the South East are a perfect place to relax and discover with a kayak. Restaurants in Bonaire offer a variety of delicious local and international food. The accommodations recommended by the journalist were: Eden Beach, Rochaline, and Happy Holiday Homes. How to get to Bonaire from Valencia? Dutch Antilles Express flying everyday except Saturday to Curacao with immediate connecting flight to Bonaire.
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Turismo Maso in alliance with Bonaire
To keep Bonaire well promoted, this year TCB has signed again an agreement with Turismo Maso. This is a strong company within the Venezuelan tourism sector focused on large corporations with branch offices in the main cities. Maso also owns two tourism websites: www.turismomaso.com and www.volando.com reaching the tourism industry in general.
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Upcoming event .... Brazil Padi Festival June 06th to the 08th
On this occasion Bonaire will be represented by our Tour Operators in Brazil. This year beside Adventure Travel and Arribatur, Vectra will have a booth at the event. All of them, promoting the Island of Bonaire and the specials from the hotels. More information in the next Entre Nous.
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Bonaire News
The colourful bulletin this month highlights the latest on island: Bonaire receives the prestigious islands Magazine/Caribbean Tourism Organization 2008 Sustainable Tourism Award, Bonaire’s Captain Don Receives Recognition Award at Beneath The Sea, Bonaire leading by example during Bonaire Dive Into Summer 2008, 4th Annual Pro Kids Worlds slated for July 27- Aug.3, 2008, the International Regatta.
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As mentioned last month the Annual Statistics report will be available for our partners and stakeholders. If you would like a copy please send an email to Rose-Anne Rollan at 
