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The Bonaire Photo Contest ended successfully in its second edition with 705 photos participating. The eight winning photos were selected by International and local judges in Bonaire. The photo contest had winners from: Brazil, Holland, Austria, United States, Venezuela and Costa Rica. Also a special recognition was given to photographer Jeffrey Stamer from United States. He had two of the top photos competing for the first place in the Professional category top side. TCB-Latin America would like to thank all the sponsors who offered great prizes for the winners.

Mar 16

Market Focus in the Region

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Bonaire stays active in the Brazilian market through the marketing activities of: advertising campaigns in Divemag digital magazine, which is a very popular magazine among active divers (200,000) and participation at main dive show Padi Dive Festival, this year taking place at Sao Paulo Expo Center from October 6th to the 10th. The Sales Blitz in Sao Paulo is directed to large centers and wholesalers and will be programmed during Padi Festival.

TCB continues giving support to trade partners and stakeholders on island while developing campaigns through digital platforms. Successful posts are being added on social media “Turismo Bonaire” both in Spanish and Portuguese to increase engagement with Latin fans. The number of followers is increasing rapidly as we continue posting daily images of Bonaire’s diving, soft adventure activities, culture, island events, promotion of our companies on island, engagement campaign and much more. TCB-Latin America continues positioning Bonaire in the region as a Top Dive destination and the best soft adventure in the Caribbean.

Mar 16

TCB-Latin America continues with efforts in achieving improvements in airlift

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TCB-Latin America will focus its marketing strategy in the year 2016 in the markets of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. Airlift opportunities expanded for Colombia and Venezuela with Sundance Air offering non-stop charter flights between Bonaire and Venezuela; this will re-activate the leisure and corporate market. With Avior/Tiara Air strategic alliance plan offering inter island services, this will improve connectivity from South America. Insel Air is flying from Medellin and Barranquilla connecting Bonaire via Curacao. The airline is contemplating on adding Cali and Bucaramanga within its expansion routes. Since the Colombian market no longer needs a visa this will attract not only divers but also leisure and soft adventure visitors. The program of Sales Blitz, fam trip and press fam continues in close cooperation with Insel Air.

Sundance Air Venezuela

Sundance registered the company Bon Sky in Bonaire and offers flight services between Venezuela and Bonaire. In February TCB Headquarters and TCB-Latin America met with the owners of Sundance Air Venezuela and agreed on giving support to this great initiative that will increase tourism towards Bonaire.

Avior Airlines Venezuela

During Anato trade show in Bogota, TCB-Latin America conducted a meeting with the airline owners. Avior Airlines started flying from Bogota to Aruba and Curacao on March 3rd with very competitive rates. The great news obtained was that Avior is contemplating on expanding its Caribbean routes with services to Bonaire. Furthermore, Avior purchased Tiara Air and is planning to provide inter island services.

Mar 16

Bonaire promotion in 1,000 supermarkets

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TCB-Europe is developing one or two retail promotions in collaboration with a well-known brand or retailer, aimed at the Dutch leisure tourist. A nationwide promotion with the brand CHIO is being organized in 1000+ supermarkets in the Netherlands this coming winter.

CHIO is market leader in its category and has communicated a prize contest on 100,000+ bags of chips. The winner will receive airline tickets and accommodation for a vacation to Bonaire. Plus all participants will enjoy a discount voucher towards a vacation to Bonaire.

Mar 16

European Trade shows

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Duikvaker

Bonaire was well represented at the Duikvaker trade show in February. A Bonaire Square was built in collaboration with the private sector. The Bonaire Square visitors had the opportunity to enjoy a Bonairean beverage. On the Saturday, prizes were awarded to the winners of the Bonaire contest in Duiken magazine. During the trade show video clips were made that drew a lot of attention and had a high reach when they were posted on Facebook. If you also want to participate in the 2017 Duikvaker trade show, please send an email before June 1^st to europe@tourismbonaire.com.

Vakantiebeurs

121,593 Dutch people visited the Vakantiebeurs on its 46th edition, to get inspiration where their next vacation destination will be. The Vakantiebeurs took place this year from January 13th to 17th. During the Vakantiebeurs, Duikeninbeeld.tv won the “Pink Egg”, since they are focusing a great deal of attention on promoting Bonaire http://duikeninbeeld.tv/reportagewedstrijd-2016-jouw-ticket-naar-bonaire/.

ITB

The ITB, the most important Business-to-Business travel trade show, was held in Berlin the second week of March. Sapias Holding, Plaza Resort and Carbo TCC represented ten Bonaire accommodation providers and established (new) contacts with tour operators. Numerous talks were also conducted with dive media during the ITB, as a result of which new dive press publications will be prepared for the coming year. If you would like to participate in the ITB in 2017, please send an email before June 1^st to europe@tourismbonaire.com.

Mar 16

BonaireTourism’s Social Media Pages Continue to Grow

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January was the first official month that all of Bonaire Tourism’s social media accounts were redesigned to promote and grow only the North American market and all posts were in English. Our colleagues at TCB-Europe and TCB-South America established their own social media accounts and in their own respective languages. BonaireTourism’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are now dedicated to North American engagement. As a result of this change, BonaireTourism’s reach and engagement with our followers has increased by over 40%. @BonaireTourism has a combined social media following of over 39,126.

Sample Facebook Post

Sample Twitter Post

Sample Instagram Post

Mar 16

Media Buzzes About Bonaire

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USAToday.com (16,967,518 unique monthly viewership [UVM])

Bonaire’s Carnival was listed as one of “The 10 Best Carnivals in the Caribbean,” by USAToday.com. The article describes Bonaire’s Carnival season as a family-friendly affair, and highlights a variety of the festivities that take place during the celebration including the children’s parade, kid’s festival and the crowning event at the Kralendijk Stadium. Click here to read the full article.

Coastal Living Magazine (738,255 monthly circulation)

Bonaire was featured as one of the 10 Caribbean islands in Coastal Living’s article entitled, “Which Caribbean Island is Right For You.” Bonaire is showcased as the perfect island for people who are looking to plan their next dive vacation. Click here to read the full article.

TravelGirl Magazine (100,000 bi-monthly circulation)

Entitled “Go Big or Go Home,” Bonaire is featured as one of the adventures to kick off 2016. The Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire (CRF), and planting a coral reef in Bonaire are highlighted as the activity to participate in for the month of November. Click here to read the full article.

USAToday.com (16.967,518 UMV)

The article entitled “Underwater Paradise: Spectacular snorkeling in the Caribbean,” recognizes Bonaire as one of the best islands for snorkeling in the Caribbean. The article mentions that Bonaire is the recipient of several awards for its superb snorkeling, also listing the variety in species that can be found while snorkeling. Click here to read the full article.

Mar 16

TCB-North America’s 2016 Marketing Plan Overview

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This year, TCB-North America will be focusing on driving customer demand in the Atlanta and Newark gateway markets to support additional airlift from Delta Airlines and United Airlines. Plans are underway to maximize today’s ability and technology to use demographic and behavioral data to specifically target the desired customers and leverage the current trend toward mobile marketing and digital advertising, as growth in social media has eclipsed all other forms of reaching and influencing travel based decisions.

To keep Bonaire in the forefront of the marketplace as being a destination that offers an award winning scuba diving product and eco-adventure product and more, the key elements of our activities include digital advertising with partners such as Adara, TripAdvisor, Facebook and Instagram; seasonal campaigns to support airlift and working with journalists from both top traditional and non-traditional outlets to increase brand awareness and ultimately increase arrivals from North America. We will also be launching Bonaire’s first “Bonaire Villa Collection” program this spring. Below are samples of some of the creatives that will be used throughout our campaigns.

Adara: Retargeting digital campaign that will identify the right audiences at the moment consumers start to research/plan a vacation online. Adara engages with potential visitors to Bonaire during the early planning/dreaming phase of the travel cycle.

TripAdvisor: Tourism Bonaire’s Sponsorship page provides a co-op advertising opportunity for Bonaire’s stakeholders with TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor Co-Op Sponsorship Banners

Facebook Advertising Campaign: The ad campaign was created to promote Delta’s Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday non-stop flights to Bonaire on Facebook. The 3 week campaign resulted in 619 website clicks to TourismBonaire.com, and reached 28,303 people that live in the 45 mile driving radius from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), as well as ATL’s feeder markets (Chicago, Detroit, New York, etc.).

Nov 25

BONAIRE STANDS OUT AT DEMA SHOW 2015

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On November 4-7, 2015, Tourism Corporation Bonaire was respresented by Malinda Hassell, Marketing Manager of TCB-Headquarters, TCB-North America representatives Candice Kimmel and Marie Rosa and TCB-South America representative Yasmin Perez at the 39^th Annual DEMA Show. The 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 in the Bonaire Pavilion to either familiarize themselves with the destination or to see old friends to discuss plans and programs slated for the upcoming year. Representatives were on-site to assist with potential travel planners, address questions and concerns and distribute promotional materials. The Bonaire Pavilion was also promoted via ad placement in the official DEMA Directory, postcard placement in the attendee registration tote bags and with additional signage and collateral at the Be A Diver Pool for which Bonaire is the Title Sponsor.

On opening day of DEMA Show, the Bonaire Pavilion hosted a Bonaire Happy Hour for Bonaire travel partners at The Rocks Bar at Hyatt Regency Hotel Orlando, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Exhibitors from the Bonaire Pavilion that participated in the happy hour included representatives from BONHATA, Budget Rent a Car Bonaire, Captain Don’s Habitat, Den Laman Condominiums, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, Dive Friends Bonaire, Insel Air, Sand Dollar Condominiums, TCB and VIP Diving.

Digital promotion of the Bonaire Pavilion was implemented this year by TCB’s sponsorship of the DEMA Show app. To augment the sponsorship, TCB created a DEMA Show landing page for TourismBonaire.com. The landing page listed the name of exhibitors in the Bonaire Pavilion, and included a hyperlink to each of their websites and booth numbers. A Bonaire banner ad was displayed and rotated on the DEMA Show app homepage. Once attendees clicked on the Bonaire banner in the app, they were redirected to the Bonaire DEMA Show landing page.

The TCB delegation also met with various travel partners to discuss trends, market intelligence and strategies for 2016 and also attended several seminars with topics ranging from advancements in mobile technology and social media to DEMA Membership updates and news items. Carol Johnson, Destination Sales Manager of TripAdvisor was on site in the Bonaire Pavilion to meet with Bonaire’s private sector to explain the 2016 Bonaire Coop TripAdvisor Advertising Campaign in a one-on-one setting.

The annual DEMA Show, the largest trade-only event in the world for companies doing business in scuba diving, ocean water sports and adventure/dive travel industries, attracts hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of dive and travel industry professionasl from around the world. In addition to providing an arena in which to conduct business and network, DEMA Show offers participants the most extensive education curriculum in the industry including DEMA-Sponsored Seminars and Exhibitor-Sponsored Seminars from participating manufacturers, travel destinations and dive certification organizations. DEMA Show is produced by DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association.

Nov 23

New Destination Video

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TCB is proud to announce the new destination video that has been created to promote the island of Bonaire. Whether you are a scuba diver, adventurer, nature lover or just want to spend the day at the beach, Bonaire has something to offer everyone. The video shows the nature, history, culture and adventure you can experience when visiting Bonaire.

You can see the video on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSKwP8noVbc

Nov 20

Updates from Bonaire International Airport (BIA)

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Bonaire International Airport (BIA) gives the following updates about air traffic for Bonaire: TUIFly started with a third Amsterdam rotation: flights will now be on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

Furthermore, Insel Air is looking into scheduling daily flights Bonaire-Aruba to connect to the US connecting flights in Aruba; Insel Air is looking into the possibility of a direct flight Bonaire-Bogota possibly effective July 2016.

The new Rescue & Fire Fighting Station is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015. The new Air Traffic Control Tower will be completed construction wise by the end of November 2015. The process of installing all equipment and instruments will be installed and scheduled to be operational by April/May 2016.

The new Apron (aircraft parking area) is scheduled to be constructed in 2017 and construction of the new Terminal is scheduled to begin in the year 2019.

Updates high season US flights to Bonaire

Delta Airlines: Atlanta – Bonaire

Weekly non-stop service from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) to Bonaire every Saturday
Starting December 19, 2015, 3x weekly non-stop service every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from ATL

United Airlines: Houston – Bonaire

Weekly non-stop service from George Bush International Airport (IAH) is every Saturday. Return flight will depart Bonaire every Sunday.
From November 21 – December 1, 2015, 2x weekly non-stop service from IAH every Friday and Saturday. Return flight will depart Bonaire every Saturday and Sunday.

United Airlines: Newark – Bonaire

Weekly non-stop service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) every Saturday
From December 12, 2015 – January 3, 2016, 2x weekly non-stop service from EWR every Saturday and Sunday

Nov 20

BONAIRE’S CRUISE TOURISM CONTINUES TO SAIL SUCCESSFULLY

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Tourism Corporation Bonaire’s (TCB) Cruise Tourism Manager, Gabriele Tixi, has reported a successful outcome from Bonaire’s participation in the 22nd Annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) Conference & Trade Show, held from October 5–9, 2015 in Cozumel, Mexico.

The Bonaire delegation was comprised by TCB Cruise Manager Gabriele Tixi. Tixi reports that the event was well attended with over 1,000 people present, including a large showing of Cruise Executives. Despite the global growth, the Caribbean continues to headline the Cruise Industry’s success as it again ranks as the dominant cruise destination, accounting for more than a third (35.5%) of the global deployment capacity market share. It is expected to further expand with a forecast of approximately 23 million passengers sailing the oceans, which is a 4% increase over 2014. This expansion is driven by 22 new vessels, representing 20,000 new beds, and an investment of over $4 billion slated for the year 2015.

“I am pleased that Bonaire is a favored port of call by the cruise industry and is continuing to perform well; we are looking forward to an increase in calls for 2017 and beyond,” said Gabriele Tixi, Cruise Tourism Manager (TCB). He continued, “The plan is to continue to look for opportunities to further increase the variety of tours available to cruise passengers, focusing more on smaller, more intimate cultural and culinary on island experiences.”

Nov 18

CBS reports more tourists on Bonaire in first half of 2015

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As reported by Central Bureau of Statistics, Bonaire received 5 percent more air passengers as tourist in the first half of 2015 than in the same period in 2014. In the first half 68.8 thousand tourists landed on Bonaire, an increase of over 5 percent compared to the first six months in 2014. Especially April saw more tourists visiting the island: 1.300 more than the year before.

More than half of the tourist flying to Bonaire were Dutch nationals. Of this group 29 percent lived in the European part of the Netherlands, while the other 25 percent were Dutch nationals living outside the Netherlands. The Americans formed the second largest group with 23 percent.

Nov 18

TOURISM CORPORATION BONAIRE (TCB) HOLDS INTERNAL MEETINGS

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The overseas representatives and TCB Head Quarters shared their strategies and will be focusing more on targeted digital marketing with the objective of driving traffic to www.tourismbonaire.com, and increasing participation from Bonaire’s tourism stakeholders on future projects. The TCB offices will focus on product development that complements the destination’s profile. Programs that can be managed and measured and that allow TCB to generate funds to enable the organization to become more financially self-sufficient.

TCB offices are working on their 2016 plans and marketing activities; ones ready and in place will be executed after receiving feedback from the private sector and important stakeholders. TCB would like to thank all for their collaboration and is working towards the future of Bonaire’s Tourism Industry.

For more information contact TCB at 717-8322, or email marketing@tourismbonaire.com

Nov 16

Bonaire Hosting Partner Press Workshops CTO

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On October 27, TCB-Europe was the hosting partner for the CTO press workshops at their office in Haarlem. More than 40 journalists attended the yearly press event of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. They were welcomed with a special Cadushy Bonaire cocktail and TCB-Europe was given the opportunity to give an update about the latest news and developments concerning Bonaire’s tourism product. During the one-on-one meetings, TCB-Europe had the chance to offer story ideas to the journalists and to ensure that Bonaire stays top of mind for future coverage in their respective outlets e.g. Volkskrant, Holland Herald and National Geographic. A week after the event several journalists contacted TCB Europe for a press trip next year!

Nov 16

Bonaire was Present at Caribbean Latin event

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On October 30^th, 2015 TCB-Europe participated in the third edition of the Caribbean and Latin Workshops in Utrecht. This annual event is organized for travel agents in the Dutch Market and more than 100 travel agents were expected to attend. In short sessions and groups, we presented information about the destination and included key selling points.

Nov 16

Bonaire to Be Vlog Partner with Dutch Magazine Duiken

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Next year, Bonaire is scheduled to be the Vlog Partner with Duiken, one of the leading Dutch dive publications. The partnership includes, video blogs dedicated to Bonaire and short vlogs to promote social media for both Duiken and Tourism Corporation Bonaire; also included is a series of published articles and a media visit tentatively set for April. We will keep you informed on the details.

Nov 16

Preparations for the shows in Europe

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Preparations are underway for the upcoming shows in Europe. We’ll start the year off with Vakantiebeurs on January 12 -18, 2016 in Utrecht. Bonaire will be located in the Caribbean Pavilion. As in previous years, the Trade-day on January 12 will be an important day for us as we will award the Bonaire promotion prize during the “Bonaire Moment”.

Other shows scheduled for 2016 are BOOT Dusseldorf on January 23 – 31, Duikvaker February 6-7, and ITB Berlin, March 9-13. TCB-Europe will also be reaching out to new trade partners in the respective areas of where the shows will be held to schedule appointments for the participating Bonaire exhibitors.

Nov 16

“So Bonaire” Reaches Almost 1000 Travel Agents

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In early August, TCB-Europe initiated an e-learning campaign for the Dutch travel industry. Almost 1000 travel agents participated in the campaign and 6 agents attended the final activity for the travel agents at ‘De Smaak van Bonaire’. Well-known Dutch TV presenter, Jack Spijkerman, held the attention of the crowd until the winning travel agent was announced. Irene Dingjan, Chief Executive Officer of BONHATA, presented the prize to travel agent Froukje Jansen of ‘Reisbureau at Home’. By continuing to promote Bonaire to the travel agent community at large, we are able to educate them and to stimulate and incentivize our trade partners to promote our island to new visitors.

Nov 16

Smaak van Bonaire Generates Attention in the Dutch Market

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The networking event ‘De Smaak van Bonaire’ (Taste of Bonaire) was a great success. It was held on September 10 at ‘Spice Beach Club” at Scheveningen. De Smaak van Bonaire and over 75 business partners visited. This event is organized every two years by TCB and is in cooperation with BONHATA and the tourism industry. Thanks to the Bonaire Culinary Team and STINAPA, Lion Fish was on the menu; that coupled with Cadushy Bonaire Liqueur, really allowed our guests to “taste Bonaire”. The event afforded us the opportunity to strengthen our relationships with top industry people in the Netherlands. Tour operators, airlines representatives and environmental organizations were also in attendance along with several journalists. As a result, TCB and BONHATA representatives were interviewed and we are looking forward to future coverage in top trade publications such such as Travelpro and TravMagazine.

Nov 16

Tiempo de Fondo Argentina reporting Karol Meyer in Bonaire!

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The Argentina dive magazine August 2015 edition highlighted Free Diving Bonaire event by Karol Meyer. With a three page report under the title “Apnea Total” the article was dedicated to the famous freediver Karol Meyer (www.karolmeyer.com) who has – amongst conquests – several recognitions and World records.

Click on www.revistatdf.com to enjoy the report. Groups from Argentina are discovering Bonaire, and spreading the word. Same as Brazil, the Argentina market connects to Bonaire, mainly via Colombia with Avianca and Panama with Copa.

Nov 16

Bonaire Photo Contest II Edition!

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Launched in July, the Bonaire Photo Contest is an attractive event that maintains much exposure for Bonaire in Latin America. The contest is actively promoted in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico. This second edition is running successfully in Spanish-Portuguese and now English, and invites past and new visitors of Bonaire around the world to participate. TCB-Latin America is receiving beautiful pictures from Amateur and Professional photographers in the underwater and top side categories.

Prizes that were donated by our sponsor companies on island include; one week stay on Bonaire with breakfast, car rental and unlimited shore diving for two people. Sponsor companies benefit with all the promotions the contest is generating. Beautiful posts are being published reaching up to know 1,838 followers at Bonaire Photo Contest’s Instagram account @bonairephotocontest.

Our photography contest ended November 20th. By December 16th, TCB-Latin America will announce the 8 winning photos selected by International and Local Judges in Bonaire.

Nov 16

NEW BONAIRE PORTUGUESE SPANISH BOOKLET LAUNCHED!

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We are proud to present our new edition of Bonaire bilingual brochure 2015. The booklet is a great initiative of TCB-Latin America now reaching its fifth edition.

Take a look at its beautiful front page. Isn’t it eye catching?

11,000 booklets in total were printed in Brazil and Colombia. It will be available in digital version to be uploaded at Bonaire website. The new Bonaire booklet was a perfect occasion to introduce TURISMO BONAIRE, the new Facebook page created for the TCB-Latin America community.

Our 32 page booklet is available in Portuguese and Spanish, and is beautifully designed with attractive images and island information, which was distributed recently at the PADI Dive Festival.

Bonaire’s trade partners agreed this version of our booklet is amazing and beautifully designed. TCB-Latin America feels proud to promote Bonaire with this valuable marketing tool. TCB-Latin America would like to thank all of the Bonaire companies on island that supported this great initiative that will soon be available digitally.

Nov 16

BONAIRE THE NEW TECH DIVE DESTINATION!

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