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| Issue #15 04 December 2000 |
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| Entre Nous Bonaire's Bi-weekly Newsletter |
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LOCAL REPORT |
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Donkey’s Help Visitors to Bonaire are sometimes surprised to find that we have a large population of donkeys casually walking about the island. The fact is that there are more than 400 in the "kunuku" (out back), around the neighborhoods and almost 50 in the sanctuary. The
donkeys were brought to the island hundreds of years ago to work
in the In order to keep a part of Bonaire’s past alive, Marina Mellis, A native of Hilversum, Holland, decided to do something to insure their rightful place. She began a non-profit foundation to raise funds and build a sanctuary for old, injured and orphaned donkeys. After many years of hard labor and long nights, she completed the initial building phase in 1998 on 25 hectares of land leased from the government. The entire operation is run by private donations. Visitors are welcome and encouraged to stop and visit. The Donkey Sanctuary can be found just south of Flamingo Airport. Take the first road (dirt) on the left. Follow it until you see the entrance on your right hand side. It is well worth the visit. Click on the logo to visit the Donkey Sanctuary website
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salt industry. With the coming of mechanization, they
were no longer needed and allowed to revert to their feral state.
Until recently, they have had a peaceful coexistence with the
population. Now, with more construction, increased vehicular
traffic and decreased habitat, they were feeling the pressure of
the changes. (Photo courtesy of
Julie Morgan)
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This past November 13th through the 16th, TCB Director ELsmarie Beukenboon attended the World Travel Mart in London, England. This venue is one of the world’s largest and busiest gatherings of all the sectors involved in the travel industry. TCB Bonaire was represented through the DCPE (Dutch Caribbean Promotion, Europe) along with our sister islands. The Travel Mart has tremendous
value since it brings all the parts of the As an addendum to The
Director’s Trip, several principals from Bonaire’s tourism
sector such as plaza
resort, habitat,
buddy dive, flamingo
beach,
Bonhata and interreps attended this venue. A presentation was given by drs. Robert Bolhuis of BASIS
Communicatie, our new TCB Europe representative, addressing the European Market and
how Bonaire can promote the destination and increase the number of
visitors from Europe. The
very professional presentation will also be applicable to all the markets
that TCB is in. Many
ideas were presented which will be developed and utilized in our
future marketing strategy.
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Bonaire recognized as #1
in the Caribbean/Atlantic for Best Beginner and Best Shore Diving Every year the
subscribers of "Rodale's Scuba Diving" magazine are polled for
their opinion on several diving destinations. This year Bonaire has been
recognized among several subscribers as the #1 place in the
Caribbean/Atlantic for the best beginner and best shore diving facility.
See below how Bonaire has been rated for several other categories. BONAIRE: #1 in the Caribbean/Atlantic Best Beginner Diving Bonaire has for the past 10 years has continuously promoted the island as the Divers Paradise. With the well managed marine park that we have and the excellent cooperation of the dive operations to pass the "code of ethics" of the marine park to the tourist, Bonaire has again been officially recognized as the third most popular dive destination in the world.
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The most
precious thing in life is giving birth to a child and TCB would like to The Director of Marketing, Burney El-Hage, has become the father of a 10 lbs baby boy, born on 04 December 2000 at 3:01 am. We wish his wife Ginia all the best. The statistical assistant, Joanny Sint Jago-Trinidad has given birth to her first baby boy, Mingael Godan Jorrel, born on 29 November 2000. Congraculation to Amansio and Joanny. |
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October 2000 Bonaire/Air Jamaica Road show Report: We began the
week with Sales calls in the Detroit area and participated in the Detroit Free Press Travel Agent Trade
Show. There were 1,100 travel agents in attendance with 127
Exhibitors. From there we headed to Chicago, Minneapolis, and
then back Chicago, for additional sales calls and product
presentations and had the opportunity to speak with over 100 travel
agents in their offices. We hosted two
CTO Chapter Dinner Presentations; the Chicago Chapter had 145
travel agents in attendance and Minneapolis had 52.
The new Bonaire destination video was introduced and each
hotelier gave a product presentation and slide show. The following
properties were represented during the week’s activities: Aqua
Viva Apts, Belmar Apts. & Lagoen Hill Bungalows, Buddy Dive
Resort, Captain Don’s Habitat, Divi Flamingo Resort and Plaza
Resort Bonaire and Port Bonaire. Individual
reports were sent to each participant with agency, agent, and etc.
information. On behalf of TCB, a very large “THANK YOU” must
go to all those who participated and supported this Road show.
Only 53 more days until the big “D” show is here…January 24-27, 2001. The ABC Travel Agent Function had been confirmed for the evening of Tuesday, January 23rd. All DCP exhibitors are reminded to bring extra collateral for distribution at the cocktail party. The last time this was done in New Orleans there were 280 travel agents in attendance and DEMA is expecting more for 2001. INTERNATIONAL
ADVENTURE TRAVEL & OUTDOOR SHOW UPDATE:
The dates of
this show are February 15-18, 2001.
TCB has taken 2 booths and will also be the Destination
Sponsor for the Travel Agent Luncheon.
The show’s format has been changed, along with its
Website. Thursday is
tentatively set for Government conferences and Friday for Trade
Industry Partners. The show opens Friday night through Sunday.
Their new
Website is www.IATOS.com and
show organizers have informed us that we should now refer to the
show as the “IATOS” as there are many Adventure Shows out in
the market, but the IATOS was “the original”… On October 16th,
there will be sales calls scheduled in the New York area with a
representative from Divi Flamingo and the Air Jamaica New York
Sales Office. If interested in participating please contact the
TCB-NYC. The
Detroit Free Press Trade Show:
1,100 Attendees
127 Exhibitors Detroit/Livonia
Agencies:
Carlson Wagonlit 5
Livonia Travel 12
Business & Pleasure 10
AAA Michigan 5
Total: 32 Chicago
Agencies:
Approx. 22
(Marian from Air Jam Sales Office has the names of the
Agencies, the cards got mixed up with the CTO function but I wrote
in my notebook that we saw about 22 agents.) CTO
Chicago Dinner Seminar Presentation
Total: 145 Minneapolis
Agencies:
World Class Travel 8
Adventure Travel & Cruise
7 + 12 Students (This was affiliated with the travel agent
school that we visited.)
Plymouth Travel 16
Adventure Sports (Dive shop)
3
Total: 34 CTO
Minneapolis Dinner Seminar Presentation
Total: 52 Chicago
Agencies (these are for Rose-Marie, Suzanne and myself for Friday,
Oct. 13th)
Total: 12
(Marian has the name of the agency we visited...) If my
calculations are correct, we reached 1,385 agents "in
person".../ 1,397 for Rose-Marie, Suzanne and myself. Not bad for a
week's work? Hopefully we've generated more business
out of these markets. .Time
will tell. If you have
any questions, you know where to find me. For those of you
who really want the business cards please let me know, it's a lot
of XEROXing and a lot of paper.....maybe we should just pass them
around via snail mail and then make sure I get them at the end?
I'm open for suggestions.. It
has been a very busy last few months for all of us as we made it a
priority to unite our efforts in order to promote the island’s
tourism product more aggressively.
Since the completion of the piers, we have focused on promoting
our hotels as an individual product through the Rediscover
Bonaire promotion which was launched in July and the 5
for 7 promotion in support of the launch of Air Jamaica’s
second flight to Bonaire, which began in September.
From a public relations standpoint, the positive results
demonstrate what the power of “teamwork” can achieve.
With increased teamwork and more innovative methods of
promoting Bonaire, much more can be accomplished in the future. Since
August 2000 we have received 31 editorial placements covering the Rediscover
Bonaire program and the 5 for 7
packages. Highlights of the placements: § 31 editorial placements in publications including Travel Agent, Travel Weekly, Sport Diver, Rodale's Scuba Diving, Dive Training and New York Daily News §
Total circulation of 3,096,072
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Advertising
equivalency of $46,639 §
Total estimated worth
of $163,237 (This is based on the added credibility of
editorial) §
4 feature
articles of 1 page or more §
4 articles
containing four-color photos §
22
articles on the 5 for 7 packages §
9
articles on the Rediscover Bonaire program, with 5 including
all participating hotels
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congratulates the following collogues with the new member in their family|
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News Bits Bonaire ...a conservationism model for Falcón On the 26th of October, in the city of Punto Fijo, the II Cumbre de Turismo del Estado Falcón was held with the attendance of Spanish and Mexican exhibitors as well the participation of TCB, represented by Yasmin Pérez. Falcón is an extremely beautiful area but also very fragile in terms of eco-system. It has a marine park, National Park Morrocoy and a fauna reserve with the likes of Curare, the legendary poison used by local hunters to paralyze their prey.
Bonaire was showcased to the people of Falcon, not only as a model in nature conservation, but also as a marketing model with more than 30 years of experience in preserving the environment. Lic. Zaida González, specialist in ecology and environmental problems from Geohidra Consultores, was a special guest speaker and explained the key elements that made it possible for Bonaire and tourism to grow together in balance with the preservation of the environment. She proposed a similar plan to be implemented in Falcon that they can put into place with the support of national government, the local authorities and the private business sector. It was a very positive experience and after the meeting the local businessmen wanted to know more about Bonaire and all its policies concerning the environment.
AVAVIT Trade Show - Nov 27 / 29
This year, the show
was held in Caracas. Many travel agents stopped at our display to
gather information and make contacts with our operators. “Diving, relaxing and adventure” was the legend in the banner that was displayed on the booth. Representatives from Bonaire at AVAVIT: Bonhata (Diana Sint Jago), Brigitte Kley and Richard Dove (Coco Palm Garden), Boudewign Scholts (Plaza Resort), Elizabeth Larrazabal (Divi Flamingo), Yasmin Pérez (TCB) and the Dive Operators: Caracas
Scuba Center, Subvitur and Divers Center. Bonaire's Marketing Plan for 2001 During the AVAVIT venue, TCB, together with the
representatives of the hotels, held
a very interesting meeting with the Tour operators, Dive operators and
press to present the plans for the next year. Flamingo Reps and TCB have planned their marketing strategy for next year including special plans for Wholesalers and Travel Agents. This will include seminars and workshops covering subjects such as Internet, diving as a growing market and improving quality of service. This event took place in Hotel Gran Meliá Caracas with the cooperation of many important principals that added great value to the meeting.
After a few meetings with the Operations Manager of this Venezuelan airline, Captain Francisco Batista, we have been informed that there is great interest and solid prospects that the airline will start flying to Bonaire. We will provide more information in the next edition of Entre Nous.
Our next show will be ANATO in Bogotá, Colombia,
February 27th ,28th
and March 1st, 2001.
The Bonaire display will cover 10 sq. meters. We will appreciate if you
get in touch with Bonhata for your space reservations. You can also
contact us for further information by e-mail flamingorep@telcel.net.ve
We count on your presence and support for the trade
shows in South America. In
this way we will not only promote Bonaire and its beauties but also we
will all be able to benefit from the joint marketing that has been done by
all our operators and travel agents. |
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Inaugural trip of Angel, a floating dinner boat Mr. Felix Keller, manager of Bonaire Dream, announces that on Thursday, December 7th 2000, ANGEL will celebrate its inaugural trip as a floating dinner boat. Angel is a 58 foot trimaran, with a capacity of 50 passengers, which has been designed especially for dinner excursions. Angel will offer trips on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from the Harbor Village Marina. On board, international, local and seafood dishes will be served and all passengers will be welcomed with a cocktail. For more information contact BONAIRE DREAM: Kaya Bongo # 7. Tel: 717 4514 or 7807838. Fax: 717 4536 E-mail: BONDREAM@bonairelive.com |
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The Foundation
for preservation of Klein Bonaire received a donation from
"World Wildlife Fund Holland".
On 30 November 2000, the president of the foundation for preservation of Klein Bonaire, Bruce Bowker, received a donation of 500,000 guilders from Gerhard van de top of "World Wildlife Fund Holland". This donation will aid the foundation for preservation of Klein Bonaire to pay back the debt created by buying Klein Bonaire.
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| Courtesy of the local newspaper EXTRA | Courtesy of the local newspaper EXTRA |
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A
Successful Orthodontics Conference...
In
November 2000, Bonaire hosted a group of 250 participants attending an
orthodontics conference, The Caribbean Compact Clinic, at the Plaza
Resort. This conference was organized by an Orthodontics Clinic in
Amsterdam commemorating its 15 years of existence. The participants
consisted of dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. In
addition to attending educational seminars during their week on Bonaire,
many attendees to the opportunity to tour the island and enjoy a wide
variety of activities including scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing,
kayaking and more! TCB would like to thank all individuals and
organizations that have made the conference successful. |
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| December 2000 | ||
| 2 | Marshe di Rincon (Rincon Market day) | |
| 2 | Underwater Cleanup Dive | |
| 3 | 10 Km Lac Bay Run | |
| 5 | Sinterklaas (St. Nicolas) Birthday Celebration | |
| 10 | Road RAce 54K and 70K sponsor Rose Inn | |
| 18 | Bari Festival | |
| 19 | End of year Sailing Race | |
| 25 | Christmas Day (Holiday) | |
| 26 | Boxing Day (Holiday) | |
| 31 | Fireworks all over Bonaire!\stores close early | |
| 31 | 5 Km run | |
| January 2000 | ||
| 1 | Maskarada | |
| 6 | Underwater Cleanup Dive | |
| TBA | Opening of Carnival season | |
| TBA | 7th Sand Dollar Dive & Photo Sailing Competition | |
| TBA | Carnival Alisio Festival | |
| TBA | Carnival Horse Parade | |
| February 2000 | ||
| 3 | Underwater Cleanup Dive | |
| 25 | Adult Carnival Parade | |
| 28 | Ash Wednesday | |
| TBA | More Carnival activities | |
| * To be announced | ||
| For a complete calender of events visit our website at www.infobonaire.com | ||
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For a complete calender of events visit our website at http://www.infobonaire.com/ Note: Dates are subject to change. A full cruise ship schedule is available upon request at the TCB Office. If you have any additions, changes or corrections to this planner please send these to S. Pourier via fax (8408) or e-mail: statistics@tourismbonaire.com - thank you. *To unsubscribe or subscribe go to http://www.bonaireentrenous.com ********************************************* Tourism Corporation Bonaire Kaya Grandi #2 Bonaire Dutch Caribbean Tel: 599-7-8322/ 8649 Fax: 599-7-8408 E-mail: tcb@tourismbonaire.com Website address: http://www.infobonaire.com/ **************************************************** |
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Bonaire's Bi-Weekly Newsletter Tourism Corporation Bonaire E-mail: tcb@tourismbonaire.com |
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