From November 6-9, 2013, a delegation from Bonaire led by Mr. Ethsel Pieternella, Director of TCB, participated in the 36th Annual DEMA Show. This year DEMA Show was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Over the course of the four-day event, thousands of Show attendees including, dive industry professionals and members of the media visited the TCB booth.
During the Show, TCB met with key Tour Operators/top sellers from North America and listened to their feedback. Many said that Bonaire, as a dive destination, was doing well and growing. Representatives from Caradonna Dive Adventures shared that for 2013; they sold 2,135 packages and had surpassed their package sales as compared to 2012 with 2,000. They noted that they had 820 packages confirmed for 2014 and expected the number would grow considerably.
Thousands of Show attendees including, dive industry professionals and members of the media visited the Bonaire Pavilion. Some learned more about the destination, others formed new relationships and/or reconnected with old friends and most were interested in discussing travel plans and programs for 2014.
Throughout the Show, Bonaire also received great exposure at the Be a Diver Pool. The new banners were up and attendees could not miss our yellow license plates that signified Bonaire was a major sponsor of the pool.
Along with TCB, the Bonaire Pavilion was comprised of the following private sector members: Bellafonte Bonaire, Belmar Oceanfront Apartments, Bonaire Dive and Adventure, Bonaire Hotel & Tourism Association (BONHATA), BonPhoto, Buddy Dive Resort, Budget Rent a Car Bonaire, Captain Don’s Habitat, Caribbean Club Bonaire, Dive Friends Bonaire, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, Eden Beach Resort, Elements Bonaire, Flow Bonaire, Insel Air, Island Express, Maduro Dive Fanta-Seas, Plaza Resort Bonaire, Sand Dollar Condominium Resort, SunRentals Bonaire, Tiara Air Aruba, VIP Diving and Wannadive Bonaire. TCB would like to thank all of the returning and the new Bonaire exhibitors that helped with spreading Bonaire’s marketing message throughout the Show. All of the Bonaire exhibitors expressed a successful DEMA Show, which led to 2014 business leads.