TCB Worldwide | TCB - Europe Report
 Bonaire well visited at DuikVaker! >
On February 7 and 8 DuikVaker 2009 took place in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Bonaire was well represented again. Not like previous years, the private sector was in the Bonaire booth during this most important diving show in the Netherlands. Again TCB Europe sponsored the parking-tickets, what brought lots of visitors to the Bonaire booth again.
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And the winner is …
Last year the website www.duikeninbeeld.tv organised together with Bonaire Tourism Corporation and Bonaire Fun Travel a Report Competition. Where was it about? Making a report about diving somewhere in the world. Lots of folks participated. They were able to use text, pictures and video material. Diane Slijkerman and Frank Albertsma are the lucky winners. They made a report about diving in Indonesia. With their report they won a free dive trip to Bonaire where they will make another big report. This time about diving on Bonaire!
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 < Love is…winning a trip to Bonaire
On the braintraining website www.neurocampus.nl, February is the month of love. And what’s more romantic than travelling to Bonaire with your loved-one? Sitting on the beach together, sipping you cocktail and watching the beautiful sunset. That’s why Neurocampus started a competition: write a love-poem and win a trip to Bonaire! It turned out to be a huge success. There are a lot of great romantic writers out there!
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Bonaire’s attends ITB
TCB Europe again attended the ITB Berlin. Europe’s most important trade show took place from March 11 to 15. Again Bonaire will had its own booth together with several partners from the private sector. Regional director Roger Davids, and project manager Anne-Martin Uildriks represented Bonaire in Berlin.
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 Bonaire Panoramika finished with more than 10.000 players! >
That’s why we call it a proven concept! The game Bonaire Panoramika did it again. This time over 10.000 players tried to win a trip to Bonaire for two. You can imagine the boost this game is for our database. All participants received our periodic e-zines sent out to our most important markets. Look for the winner of our main prize: the trip to Bonaire for two!
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 < New videos added to website
TCB has its own video’s about all sorts of activities on Bonaire. Of course most of them are about diving or related to diving on Bonaire. A lot of you will have seen some of the videos on visitbonaire.tv. Now all these videos are implemented on the new website.wwwtourismbonaire.com. First they were embedded in Dutch and now also in English. The videos will take you to the Hilma Hooker, or 1000 Steps for instance. Other videos will show you the Washington Slagbaai Park, or the kiters on Atlantis. Check it out for yourself. You can watch the videos here.
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 Bonaire ad in braintraining magazine >
Neurocampus is an online campus full of braintraining exercises. The site is very popular in the Netherlands and has more than 1.5 million visitors and over 100,000 subscribers. Neurocampus also publishes a magazine. This Neurocampus Magazine has lots of readers in the age of 45 - 65. It is moostly women who are energetic, and interested in vitality. An interesting target group for Bonaire. That’s why we advertise in the magazine.
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 < Green Miles starts on Bonaire
Do you remember the Green Miles project? Two young guys are going to travel around the world in a sailing boat. With their journey they try to raise awareness for the problems, beauty and crucial role that oceans play in the world’s climate. And what better place to start such a project than on Bonaire? Their trip will last approximately two years. The trip began on March 15, but Arjen van Eijk en Florian Dirkse.
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< E-newsletters Bonaire has been sent
Like every month the Bonaire e-newsletters has been sent out. Not only in Dutch, but also in English for our other European markets. The Dutch newsletter goes to more than 35,000 subscribers. They were for instance informed about how to win the romantic trip to Bonaire, the videos of kite boarder Kevin Langeree and the dive site: Alice in Wonderland. Both videos can be seen on www.tourismbonaire.com. The English e-zine has a bit more focus on diving. The subscribers were told about the corals on Bonaire, diving lessons, the snorkelling opportunities and the dive video of the Hilma Hooker.
 
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 Meeting the winners of the ‘Duikeninbeeld.tv report contest’ >
As you may already know Duikeninbeeld.tv, TCB and Bonaire Fun Travel developed a ‘report contest’. Divers were asked to send in their reports. They where judged by a jury. The main prize is a trip for two to Bonaire. On one condition: the winners have to make a nice report about Bonaire during their trip. Last week we met the winners of the contest. Together with TCB and Linda Ferwerda from Duikeninbeeld.tv we brainstormed about the topics of the Bonaire dive report. We were pleasantly surprised as we found out one of the winners is a biologist. She suggested to pay attention to the various eco-projects on Bonaire in her report. Off course we fully agreed with the suggestion!
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New specials online
Again we have added some interesting specials form our trade partners on the TCB website. Among others Maduro Travel has given us some nice offers for trips to Bonaire in the coming months. In this way we collaborate with partners in the market who are important to us. At the same time we can stimulate the bookings of these partners.
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CTO Member meeting and Press Workshop
On May 7 the CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organisation) bi-annual meeting takes place. During this meeting the CTO will adjust its plans with its members. After the member meeting CTO organizes a Press Workshop. The members of CTO are given the opportunity to reserve a table for participation. This will be an excellent opportunity to inform our contacts from the press about everything that’s going on in Bonaire at this moment. And from former press workshops we know that these meetings are important to make new contacts for possible press trips later on in 2009. We will inform you about the outcome of the meeting in the following Entre Nous.
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Travel Trend Caribbean Day
On May 6 travel agency Travel Trend organizes a Caribbean Day for its travel agents. Lots of agents from different offices will participate. During this day they will be informed about various destinations in the Caribbean. TCB has its own table where the travel agents will visit in small groups. It will be a great opportunity to promote our island to the travel agents, who are so important to Bonaire.
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Neurocampus develops a new Bonaire game
Neurocampus is the platform for brain training in the Netherlands. This past year TCB and Neurocampus have developed a couple of very successful campaigns together. The co-operation will now be continued in a new campaign. Neurocampus is developing a new exercise where students will learn their first words of Papiamento. In the next Entre Nous we’ll give you more information about this original action.
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Bonaire E-zines send out
The coming weeks we will send out our e-zines to all subscribers in both the Dutch as the English speaking markets. In these e-zines we point out the most important developments and events on Bonaire to the consumers. Coming week the e-newsletter contains various appealing topics. What you can expect? Information about the Papiamento course on the TCB website. Besides that we have renewed the online Diving brochure. This e-magazine can also be found on the TCB website: www.tourimbonaire.com/nl/duikbrochure
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TCB Worldwide | New York Report
Bonaire Enters Social Media World with Facebook and Twitter to Promote Upcoming Events and Programs
Tourism Corporation Bonaire launched its new interactive fan pages on top social network websites; Facebook and Twitter. Bonaire’s Facebook and Twitter pages were created to support Bonaire Dive Into Summer 2009 and the Celebration of Bonaire’s Commitment to Conservation, commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Washington Slagbaai National Park and the 30th Anniversary of the Bonaire National Marine Park. The pages feature links to the calendar of events for both programs, plus links to the TCB website, various island images and more. The sites will encourage Facebook and Twitter users to follow the island’s updates on Twitter and invite the users to add Bonaire to their fan page on Facebook, which will then provide access to the features and information available on their pages.
While Facebook started out as a service for university students, at this moment almost one third of its global audience is aged 35-49 years of age and almost one quarter is over 50 years old. Considering 56% of Baby Boomers aged mid 40’s to early 60’s visit and engage in social media, Bonaire is reaching the right audience. Facebook boasts more than 157 million active users as of February 2008, with more than 45 million actives users in the US alone and more than 3.5 million active users become fans of pages each day.
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as “tweets.” Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them. Twitter is the third most used social network and has 55 million visits per month.
Bonaire already has over 300 followers on Twitter and over 600 fans on Facebook. To visit Bonaire’s Facebook and Twitter page click on www.twitter.com/BonaireTourism and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonaire-Dutch-Caribbean/90852345311?ref=nf
View the pdf file here.
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Bonaire Launches Online Advertising Program in Sport Diver, Caribbean Travel & Life and Scuba Diving
Starting with a Bonaire issue of Sport Diver’s e-Newsletter distributed on April 28th; followed by an online contest, e-Newsletter and a lead feature all with Caribbean Travel and Life launched on May 1st and a Bonaire issue of DepthFinder, the online consumer e-Newsletter from Scuba Diving on May 7th, Bonaire launched its first online advertising program in the US Market. Timed for maximum market penetration immediately following the peak winter season, the messages highlighted tour operator packages, the Celebration of Bonaire’s Commitment to Conservation commemorating the anniversary of Bonaire’s two renowned parks and Summer Savings packages from Bonaire’s On-Island Dive Operators.
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 Dr. Sylvia Earle to Headline “Celebrate Our Planet Week” – during Bonaire Dive Into Summer 2009 >
Famed Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle will be on Bonaire for “Celebrate Our Planet Week”, the signature event on August 15-22, 2009. She will participate in several on-island events designed to highlight Bonaire’s continued leadership in Sustainable Tourism.
Dr. Earle was born in 1935 in Gibbstown, New Jersey and is an American oceanographer. She was chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1990-1992. She led the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970. In 1979, she made an open-ocean JIM suit dive, setting a women’s depth record 1250 feet; she also holds the women’s record for a solo dive in a deep submersible (3280 feet). In 1985 Earle founded Deep Ocean Engineering along with her husband, engineer and submersible designer Graham Hawkes, to design, operate, support, and consult on piloted and robotic subsea systems. She left the company in 1990 to accept an appointment as the Chief Scientist for NOAA.
Dr. Earle has led more than 400 expeditions worldwide involving in excess of 7000 hours underwater in connection with her research. From 1998 to 2002 she led the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, a five year program to study the United States National Marine Sanctuary sponsored by the National Geographic Society and funded by the Goldman Foundation.
Today, Dr. Earle serves as Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society and the company known as DOER Marine is run by her daughter. The company continues to design, build and operate new equipment for the deep ocean and other challenging environments. She was named Time magazine’s first “hero for the planet” in 1998. She is a Knight in the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark. She won the TED Prize in 2009.
We are honored to welcome Dr. Earle to Bonaire this summer and we will keep you posted on her scheduled activities!
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<Bonaire Announces Non-Stop Service from Miami in Insel Air
Effective July 4, 2009, Insel Air will be commencing a new weekly non-stop flight from Miami, Florida to Bonaire. The flight will operate weekly on Saturdays throughout the year. Insel Air flight #7I 907 will depart Bonaire at 11:55 a.m. arriving into Miami at 3:05 p.m. The return flight #7I 908 will depart Miami at 4:25 p.m. arriving into Bonaire at 7:35 p.m. Insel Air will use either an MD 82 or MD 83 aircraft configured with 152 economy seats. For reservations on Insel Air, travelers from the United States should consult their professional travel counselor or contact the call center at + 5999-737-0444. For more info on Insel Air, please visit www.fly-inselair.com
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 Bonaire EZ
News
Three issues of Bonaire’s EZ News were distributed over the past few months to our database of consumers and travel agents. The issues featured the latest packages and specials that Bonaire’s tour operators and travel specialists were offering, value added savings on dive packages being offered by Bonaire’s resorts and the calendars of events for this year’s exciting programs.
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 Dive Newswire
Recently, Dive News Wire published a variety of news items for Bonaire, i.e. information about Bonaire’s efforts to become the first Caribbean island to be powered solely by 100% sustainable energy; the announcement of Bonaire’s Commitment to Conservation program, the announcement of this year’s Jazz Festival and what was happening in Bonaire on Earth Day.
Dive News Wire is distributed electronically to more than 8,000 dive shop owners, manufacturers as well as media outlets. Diver Wire, the consumer newsletter of Dive News Wire, is e-mailed to a database of more than 1,500 subscribers.
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Press Releases
As part of the on-going press release program, Adams Unlimited researches, writes, and prepares a steady stream of release for mailings to the media for applicable editorial coverage based on editorial calendars and the need to disseminate timely news. Over the past few months eight press releases were issued with news ranging from Bonaire’s ongoing efforts to become the first Caribbean island to be powered solely by 100% sustainable energy, to airline updates and island programs to be launched this year and Bonaire’s entering the Social Media arena.
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Press Visits
Chrissy Colon, Frommer’s Guidebook
Journalist Chrissy Colon, was on assignment and visited the island of Bonaire February 10-15, 2009, to update the Bonaire chapter for the new Frommer’s Guidebook. During her time in Bonaire, Chrissy went diving with WannaDive, toured the North and South sides of the island, hiking mountain biking and visited Klein Bonaire and the Magazina di Rei Museum.
Tim Neville, Sport Diver Magazine
Journalist Tim Neville, was on assignment and visited the island of Bonaire April 9-15, 2009, for an upcoming 8-10 feature story that will appear in the September issue of Sport Diver Magazine. During his time in Bonaire, Tim went diving with Bonaire Dive, toured the North and South sides of the island, mountain biking, cave snorkeling and visited Mangazina di Rei.
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Editorial Highlights
Sport Diver Magazine (Circulation 202,252)
As a direct result of our work with journalist Brooke Morton, Bonaire is featured in the April issue of Sport Diver Magazine. Entitled “Where Sponges Blink,” diving in Bonaire is profiled as the hotspot for finding hidden jackpots and offering divers a 24/7 all-you-can-shore-dive challenge. Bari Reef and Tori’s Reef are mentioned for being recognized as two of the best dive sites that provide unbelievable marine life. Sand Dollar Bonaire is highlighted for its prime location near some of the best dive sites. To view this article click on http://portal.burrellesluce.com/MediaContent/article.php/9075K_503.pdf?f=image&id=9075K_503.
Sherman’s Travel (Circulation 200,000)
Bonaire is one of the three destinations featured as one of the best destinations to visit for dive vacations in Sherman’s Travel March issue. Entitled “Dive Vacations,” Bonaire is highlighted for sporting a laidback/divers atmosphere. A brief description of Deep Blue View is mentioned for where to stay, which includes the dive packages they offer their guests and their contact information.
Maxim Magazine (Circulation 2,568,339)
Bonaire is one of the four Caribbean islands featured in the “Expert” section of Maxim’s April edition. Entitled “Caribbean Confidential,” Bonaire is praised for offering some of the best diving in the world to divers. Maxim informs readers to sign up for a night dive when visiting the island for an unforgettable experience. Gibi’s Snack Shack is also highlighted for their fresh local lunches. Click here to view the Maxim clip.
Jazz Blues Report (Circulation 30,000)
As a direct result of Bill Wahl’s attendance to last year’s Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival, the Fifth Annual Heineken Jazz Festival is featured in the April issue of Jazz Blues Report. An overview of the festival is highlighted including; the Jazz & Poetry evening, the jazz artists performing, the Jazz Brunch at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino and a list of the Jazz Festival sponsors. To view this article click on http://www.jazz-blues.com/pdf/JazzBlues316.pdf. Click here to view the jazz blues report.
Jax Fax Magazine (Circulation 20,000)
As a direct result of Adams work with the Editor, Maria Lisella, Bonaire is featured in the April issue of Jax Fax Magazine. Entitled “Bonaire Welcomes “Native” Commissioner,” the article highlights Jeffrey Levenstone’s new appointment as the Commissioner of Tourism. Reference was made to Commissioner Levenstone’s past experiences and headshot accompanies the article.
Islands Magazine (Circulation 211,171)
As a direct result of our work with journalist Ty Sawyer, Bonaire is featured in the March issue of Islands Magazine. Entitled “The Best Islands For Snorkeling,” Bonaire is one of the seven islands featured for offering some of the best marine life while snorkeling in the islands. Bonaire is praised for receiving the 2008 Sustainable Tourism Award from Islands Magazine and maintaining wonderfully healthy underwater treasures. Klein Bonaire is also mentioned as a great place to snorkel and where you can expect to see all types of marine life ranging from butterfly fish to filefish. To view this article click on http://images.burrellesluce.com/image/9075K/9075K_477&site=9075.
Forbes Traveler (Circulation 921,410)
Bonaire is profiled as one of the top ten best places in the Caribbean to snorkel in the February 6 edition of Forbes Traveler. The story highlights snorkeling as the perfect activity to see the destination in a different perspective. Bonaire is profiled as offering snorkelers high visibility and terrific diversity of reef fish. A photo of Bonaire accompanies the write-up on Bonaire. To view this article click on http://www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/caribbean-snorkeling-spots-story.html.
WNBC-The Today Show (Viewership: 235,000)
Bonaire was featured on WNBC-TV’s morning show The Today Show, February 7. This placement is a direct result of Adams’ pitch to the station utilizing the DEMA Be A Dive Pool and that it would be at the New York Times Travel Show over the weekend for consumers to try scuba. Jeff Mohr, DEMA’s spokesperson, was interviewed by the anchor of The Today Show and discussed getting certified, and where to find the best places in the world for diving. Jeff said “Bonaire was the best place in the world for scuba diving and you can’t call yourself a diver if you haven’t been to Bonaire.” During the entire conservation, the camera was positioned on the backdrop behind the pool where the Bonaire logo was prominent. This is another example of how Bonaire benefits from being the destination sponsor of the DEMA Be a Diver Pool for the 3rd consecutive year!
Univision TV (Viewership 64,000)
Bonaire was one of the two destinations featured on New York’s WXTV Channel 41, Univision, one of the nation’s leading Spanish-language TV stations on February 5. This placement is a direct result of Adams’ pitch to the station utilizing the DEMA Be A Diver Pool and that it would be at the New York Times Travel Show over the weekend for consumers to try scuba. Since the segment was aired during the week of Valentine’s Day, Adams used the holiday and the fact that Bonaire is a well-known Caribbean island for couples to get married above the below water. Adams secured a bi-lingual spokesperson, as a recommended by DEMA (The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association) to appear in-studio to talk about the diving in Bonaire; he even mentions that Klein Bonaire is also a popular spot for couples to get married in Bonaire.
Chicago Examiner (2 million unique visitors per month)
As a direct result of our work with journalist Dennis Jacobs, Bonaire is featured in a two part story that appeared in the February 20 and 22 issues of the Chicago Examiner. Entitled “Diving Into Bonaire,” part one profiles Bonaire as attracting divers to the island by its beautiful coral reefs and dazzling array of tropical fish it offers to divers. Jacobs also praises Bonaire for their preservation and conservation to the island. Director of Tourism Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes was quoted in the article regarding the topic of conservation and said “You will find sustainable development in all parts of government, whether its tourism, or health care or education.” To view this article click on http://www.examiner.com/x-3122-Chicago-International-Travel-Examiner~y2009m2d20-Diving-into-Bonaire-Part-One. Part two provides information on the numerous land activities Bonaire offers their guests. Washington Slagbaai National Park, bird watching and Goto Lake are mentioned as some of the land activities guests can take advantage of when they are not diving. The 40 years of government conservation efforts concludes Jacobs’ story. To view this article click on http://www.examiner.com/x-3122-Chicago-International-Travel-Examiner~y2009m2d22-Diving-into-Bonaire-Part-Two.
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TCB Worldwide | South America Report
Flamingo Rep Anniversary!
We are celebrating our 12th anniversary sharing the promotion of Bonaire with the great South American tourism family. There is no better job than the one we do with passion and in TCB South America; we work each day with much enthusiasm to increase the number of visitors to such a beautiful destination as Bonaire. Thank you all for the shared experience along all these years!
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Brazilian Upcoming Events
Rio Boat Show, a new edition of this prestigious event is taking place in Rio de Janeiro from May 14th to the 20th. Bonaire and its hotel delegation Buddy Dive, SunRentals, Belmar, Caribbean Club and Dive Friends Bonaire are ready to welcome divers, diving schools and general public that every year visits the booth of Bonaire at Rio Boat Show. For more information, check our next entre nous!
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PADI Dive Festival
Padi Dive Festival in Sao Paulo will take place this year from June 5th to the 7th. Bonaire has already reserved its booth. Among the key people within the diving industry, will be the prestigious diving magazines Mergulho and DecoStop, the tour operators Arribatur and Adventure Travel and main diving schools.
On June 6th, Brazilian Karol Meyers will be present as well promoting her event in Bonaire with a huge media coverage at the show. She will be on island from August 14th to the 22nd for Bonaire Free Diving, where she will attempt to set a new record at Buddy Dive.
Padi Dive Festival, this year has been organized by Sandro and Flavio from Arribatur. Therefore Padi organization is with much expectation to welcome more Padi members and visitors this year to the event. Pls contact Yasmin to participate at the Bonaire booth.
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Bonaire well promoted in South America
Brazil
DecoStop magazine on its February edition highlights the Free Diving Bonaire event by Karol Meyer. A Brazilian apneist that is coming to Bonaire from August 14th to the 22nd trying to break a new world record.
Brasilmergulho.com, this website dedicated to diving makes reference to the Spawning of the Corals to take place in Bonaire during 04th to the 10th of the months September and October, according to the Stinapa predictions.
Venezuela
 Faces magazine is directed to the eco-adventure sector. On its March edition, Akanan Tours promoted Bonaire with a nice full page, highlighting not only the famous pristine diving but also, all the outdoor eco adventure activities enjoyed by visitors. >
Carril 4. This magazine is focused on leisure. During its April edition, it amazes its readers with beautiful images of the island. Bonaire is mentioned as one of the top ten diving destination. Two pages describe how easy it is to dive in Bonaire. Visitors don’t need a boat to dive. You dive from the shore counting with 86 dive sites along the coast.
 
El Universal Newspaper. In its Sunday tourism, it's quite frequent to find information of the island and its especial events: Jazz Festival, Dive into Summer, Pro Kids Freestyle World Championship and more.
Sportalsub, this website dedicated to diving, keeps its readers updated with the latest news on island.
 < Sportalsub
 < Gam, this tourism magazine on its April edition, talks about the new tourism commissioner, Mr. Jeffrey Levenstone and local news.
Colombia
Agenda del Mar, an online diving bulletin. On its March and April editions it has promoted Bonaire festivities on the occasion of the Anniversaries of its two national parks, 40 years of Washington Slagbaai and 30 years of Bonaire Marine Park. Additionally, highlighting the Dive into Summer program throughout the months of June and September. And also, reporting on the unique experience of the spawning of the corals. STINAPA's predictions of it, happening, during the months of September and October.
 Ladevi & Hola Turismo magazines focused on leisure. On its March and April's editions, was highlighted the Bonaire breakfast presentation in the city of Bogotá, offered to diving schools, travel agencies, airlines and specialized press. The event took place during the Anato trade show at El Nogal Club.
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Airline News
Gol planning to start operating to the Caribbean
The Brazilian airline is planning to start operating in June. It will be a weekly flight on Saturdays, leaving from Brasilia in a direct flight to Curacao arriving late at night and then continue to Aruba. More information in our next entrenous.
Avianca/Insel Air
The airlines are working in an interline agreement which benefits Brazilian divers with convenient connections to Bonaire. Insel Air has re-scheduled its flights between Curacao and Bonaire providing a better connection with the arrivals and departures of Avianca flights from Brazil. Other benefits are being studied.
DAE/Aires's agreement
The recent agreement signed between the two airlines, will benefit Bonaire by reaching divers from the three key diving cities: Bogotá, Cali and Medellin in which AIRES operates. The agreement includes attractive rates.
The above means significant improvement on the area of airlift from Brazil and Colombia. We believe that these improvements represent tremendous opportunities to Bonaire to attract more visitors from the South America region.
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 < A new edition of Anato Trade show, took place in Colombia
Being the most important Tourism Fair, Bonaire was present to spread the latest news in the market. First great news, this year Colombians do not need visa to travel to Bonaire and the rest of the Netherlands Antilles and second the recent airline agreements between DAE/AIRES and Avianca/Insel Air early this year.
Anato show took place last February from the 25th to the 27th. The Bonaire Delegation represented by Buddy Dive (Augusto Montbrun), SunRentals (Josie & Muys) and the little property Rochaline (Sjoerd) together with Yasmin from TCB, took advantage this year of the biggest show in Colombia. It was a great opportunity to hold business meetings with the trade, media, airlines and operators from South America.
Bonaire had a booth shared with tour operator Sara Mendoza from “Experience Turismo Alternativo”. It was a busy event from 9 am till 7pm, attending travel agencies from all over the country requesting more information on the AIRES/DAE flights and rates as well as Avianca/Insel Air.
During Anato, Bonaire hosted a breakfast presentation in the prestigious El Nogal Club, gathering main diving schools, important travel agencies and media press. Also, a representative of the Dutch Embassy as well as the airlines DAE, Aires and Avianca were invited. They all addressed the audience with the good news.
The event that counted with more than 80 participants ended with the traditional raffles to Bonaire, courtesy of the Hotels Caribbean Club and Bonaire Ocean Front. Complementing the two free stays, the air tickets were given by DAE and Avianca.
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Diving Groups to Bonaire
During the holidays, this year we noticed that some diving groups were able to come to the island during Carnival and Easter, by making reservations ahead of time. In this occasion, Bonaire hosted groups from Diver’s Home, Subacqua, La Tienda del Buceo, Caribbean Reef (Venezuela) and Adventure Travel, Arribatour, Vectra, Tripping (Brazil).
 Freediving Bonaire 2009 !!!! >
Without a doubt, a huge promotion for Bonaire in the Brazilian market!
Famous free diver Karol Meyer (www.karolmeyer.com) has amongst her conquests 4 world records, 2 continental records and 22 South American records in this sport. Next to numerous recognitions, she works together with NAUI and PADI and appears as key speaker at various events. This year Karol will attempt a new record and accomplish the 2nd best performance in the World, in Bonaire!
Karol and her team will be in Bonaire from July 25th to August 30th. Tentatively Aug 14th to 22nd, are the dates programmed to attempt the records? The rest of her time on island will be dedicated to train, make a film of Bonaire, carry out a free dive competition, and give free diving clinics.
During Karol's event, Bonaire will welcome important media such as: www.brasilmergulho.com.br Clerio Mayrink, owner of this important Brazilian diving website.
DecoStop magazine: Rodrigo Coluccini (to be confirmed), owner of this prestigious diving magazine in Brazil.
www.cascagrossa.com.br: Gustavo Abah a filmmaker, owner of this company that works with the production of eco-adventure documentaries.
Sponsors of Free Diving Bonaire: Buddy Dive, Arribatur Brazil, Avianca, Insel Air, Tourism Corporation Bonaire. For more information, contact Yasmin at southamerica@tourismbonaire.com
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Bonaire news
Our latest monthly bulletins highlight the great news: Anniversary Celebration of the National Parks, Strives Toward Becoming First Caribbean Island Powered by Total Sustainable Energy, Experience Jazz All Over Bonaire at the Fifth Annual Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival 2009, Please Don’t Step on the Grass Bonaire’s Sea Grass Beds, Coral Spawn 2010, IFCA slalom Pro Kids Junior Worlds and Youth and Masters World Championships, Specials from Buddy Dive, Caribbean Club & Belmar; Bonaire celebrates earth day with planting of trees, Kids Camps Bonaire, Dive Friends Bonaire Announces First Anniversary Shore Diving Sale at Dive Friends at Dive Inn. Contact Yasmin for any information you may want to share with the trade partners of the region at southamerica@tourismbonaire.com
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Upcoming events
BRAZIL
Padi Festival - Sao Paulo, June 05th to the 07th www.padibr.com.br
Organização - STOP Eventos padifestival@ig.com.br
SAVE THE DATE to meet with the Brazilian diving sector at the Bonaire booth!!!!
VENEZUELA
Avavit Trade Show - Caracas, June 03rd to the 06th
Hotel Intercontinental Tamanaco
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We are well into the second quarter and continue to keep a close eye on the stats for the island. While there have been some reports of decreases, there are many positive reports as well. Our 2008 statistical results have been completed and we are happy to report that tourism arrivals show an increase of 1% compared to a record year of 2007, where tourism grew at a rate of 17%. During the first six months of 2008, our tourism industry was showing a continued growth of 8% compared to the same period in 2007. Unfortunately, our small island cannot escape the effects of a global recession and this has certainly impacted our trend in the second half of 2008. The latter has continued taking its toll on our tourism industry in 2009, however at a relatively less harmful pace when comparing the impact on other destinations. 
