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FIRST E-LEARNING DIPLOMA
 Manja
Fokkema of Monty’s Travel
was the first to complete the digital Bonaire
exam. It’s no wonder, because Manja
appears to be a tried-and-true Bonaire-fan. “I
was on Bonaire several times already. I
do think I know the island. In fact, I
love Bonaire!" were her words when
TCB’s Marieke Raaff handed her the
Official Bonaire Diploma. Up until now,
over 50 travel agents passed the Bonaire
Exam and more to follow. They all use Bonaire’s
unique E-learning tool. They surf the website
and answer the questions. Just like any
other exam, it takes enough right answers
to pass. After the summer the E-learning
tool will be launched in non-Dutch markets.
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FALL PR PROMOTION TARGETS DIVE MARKET
After more generic PR-promotions
and the recent Windsurf PR-promotion,
it’s
now once again time to promote our premier
product: diving. This Fall TCB Europe
will launch a pan-European promotion
on the dive market. Aimed towards the
divers and the dive trade, the dive press
is involved and of course the generic
travel trade. Bonaire has a strong brand
identification in the dive market, but
even with a strong base, care should
be taken to prevent others gaining Bonaire's
market share. Therefore, this fall all
the PR is aimed at the dive product.
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WTM
LONDON IN SIGHT
Next November Europe’s
second largest trade show will take place.
World Travel Market London will be the
giant marketplace where European buyers
come to meet sales representatives from
hotels and resorts from all over the
world. TCB Europe is now discussing with
Bonaire’s
private sector the details of attendance.
It is common knowledge that the Europeans
still tend to book a package at a tour
operator or travel agent. One of the
key marketing instruments of Bonaire
in Europe is to ensure our distribution.
The more hotels and resorts that have
contracted tour operators, the better.
WRM is also a good spot to promote BonairExel.
After finalizing our participation, TCB
Europe will start its Direct Marketing
campaign to support the show. We’ll
keep you posted.
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TURTLES
GENERATE FREE PUBLICITY
After a pan-European press
release, the wonderful turtle tracking
web site is starting to generate a lot
of free publicity for Bonaire. Not only
are Robert van Dam and his team doing
a great job, their work reflects the
unique image of our island. Turtle tracking
is one of our new little secrets and
as one might know: TCB Europe’s
marketing strategy is based on little
secrets. Next to printed media, the turtle
tracking web site also has received
the attention of digital media (other
websites) and television (UK’s
BBC for example).
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BI-LATERAL DIVE PRESS TRIP
Joint efforts of TCB Europe’s
Marieke Raaff and former TCB Bonaire
colleague Ann Louise Tuke made it possible
this month for a combined press visit.
Two Dutch dive journalists came to Bonaire
and wrote an article for Ann-Louise’s
magazine in the US and also an article
for the Dutch dive media. We’re
not sure, but perhaps we succeeded in
making history in organizing this
bi-lateral press trip?
PLACEMENT
REPORT 450,000 EUROS +
TCB Europe achieved 450,000 euros
+ of free publicity over the first
6 months of 2004. Although over 70%
of the placements have a Dutch origin,
also German, British and Scandinavian
articles are part of the report. Meanwhile
the postman should have delivered this
report to TCB Office Kralendijk, Bonhata,
BHG and the TCB Board.
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AIRLIFT
NEGOTIATIONS CONCLUDED WITH AMERICAN EAGLE
Contract Negotiations with American Eagle -
-Working with a team headed by Commissioner of
Tourism Burney el Hage, and including Jack Chalk
and Frits Hannenberg, Candice Kimmel coordinated
the negotiations with American Eagle Vice President
Pedro Fabregas to reach the agreement by which
American Eagle will continue to serve Bonaire
with three rotations a week. Southbound service
from the United States via San Juan (SJU-BON)
will be on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, with
the reciprocal flights (BON-SJU) on Saturday,
Sunday and Wednesday.
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PARTNER
RELATIONS -- BONAIRE HAD HIGH PROFILE AT
ANNUAL CTO CARIBBEAN WEEK
Interfaith Service
Bonaire was represented during
this year's Caribbean
Week in New York City, May
31- June 4, 2004. The objective
of this week has always been to generate
interest in the Caribbean and that it did.
Marie Rosa attended the Interfaith
Service on Monday, May 31st
which kicked off the week’s events.
The service celebrated the Caribbean region’s
diverse spiritual heritage with musical performances,
inspirational speakers, and the glorious
sounds of the Royal Bahamas Police Band.
Media Marketplace Booth
 On
Tuesday evening, June 1st, Bonaire was represented
at the Media Marketplace which
was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in mid-town
Manhattan. In the Bonaire booth were Candice
Kimmel, Patricia Rowan and Marie Rosa, speaking
with journalists one-on-one about the destination,
talking to the friends of Bonaire and making
new ones. A “Story Ideas” document
was created to be distributed to journalists
at the Media Marketplace that
outlined various news and story topics that
they could write about for Bonaire, along with
a sign-up sheet for media who attended and
wished to receive press releases and other
information that Adams Unlimited distributes
about Bonaire. Press kits were also produced
for the event and even a “teaser” sentence
was developed about why the press should visit
Bonaire’s table, which was submitted
to the CTO’s public relations firm that
they would hand out to all attending media
at the time of registration. Approximately
132 journalists were in attendance.
Caribbean Culture
Fair Booth
On Wednesday, June 2nd, Bonaire
had its own booth at the Caribbean
Food Fair and Cultural Exposition held
in lower Manhattan at Boiling Green Park. An
estimated 8,000+ consumers were in attendance.
Surrounded by 31 other Caribbean destinations,
Bonaire’s booth was centrally located
at one of the entrances which guaranteed traffic
all day. The booth was decorated with Bonaire’s
eye-catching banners, and flyers with Bonaire’s
summer packages and general information were
distributed from early morning till dusk. It
was great exposure for Bonaire!
Bonaire Holds Seat
on Public Relations Council
Joining representatives from
National Tourist Officers and Public Relations
firms, Marie Rosa attended the July 15th CTO
PR Council Meeting hosted by the Caribbean
Tourism Organization at their headquarters
in downtown Manhattan. A variety of topics
were discussed including post Caribbean Week
re-cap and plans for 2005, details about the
27th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-27),
a request for 2005 event country calendars,
a request for airline service updates, news
about Caribbean Tourism Day, and information
about the Hurricane Preparedness Plan.
BI-ANNUAL
BONAIRE BRIEFS PRESS RELEASE COMPLETED
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 June
we began compiling information to be included
in the second installment of the Bonaire
Briefs press release for 2004 which serves
to update the media on what is new in Bonaire. The
release was distributed in early July to a database
of more than 250 media outlets including daily
newspapers, travel, travel trade, family, outdoor,
dive and bridal magazines as well as travel
freelance writers and websites. Thank
you to everyone who provided us with your news!
NOVEMBER
IS COMING SOONER THAN WE THINK (AND
SO ARE THE MEDIA!)
Adams Unlimited began working with
Sharon Spence and Warren Lieb, a writer/photographer
team, on a press visit to Bonaire for
November 2004. They will be on
island to gather information for feature
articles to be included in their
travel column, The Globetrotters, which
appears in The Moultrie News
(Charleston, SC) and The Los
Alamos Monitor (New Mexico). They
also plan on writing articles on Bonaire
for Charleston Magazine and www.greatescapes.com
BONAIRE
EZ NEWS FOR JULY
During July two issues of Bonaire
EZ News were written and distributed
to our database of more than 25,000
consumers and travel agents. The
July 7th issue of EZ News focused
on the continuation of diving
at Town Pier, while the July
20th issue focused on island news
including new hotels, restaurants
and visitor services.
DIVE NEWSWIRE
FOR JULY
Dive Newswire is distributed electronically
to more than 6,000 dive shop owners, manufacturers
as well as media outlets. On July 6
a press release on the continuation
of diving at Town Pier was included on Dive
Newswire and on July 15th a press release
on Bonaire's website for dive professionals
was included.
EDITORIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
Caribbean Life
(circulation 120,000)
In the July 6th edition of Caribbean
Life, Bonaire is featured as a vacation
destination offering family and dive packages.
The hotels highlighted are the Divi Flamingo
Beach Resort & Casino, Sand Dollar Condominium
Resort, Harbour Village Beach Club and Captain
Don’s Habitat. Dive packages are offered
from PADI Travel Network, Sportours, Squba
Holidays and Ultimate Dive Travel. Bonaire’s
800 number and Web site are also listed.
Washington Post
(circulation 1,025,579)
On July 4th, Bonaire is highlighted
in the Washington
Post as a great place to take the
kids diving during the summer. Captain Don’s
Habitat’s “kids stay free” and “free
dive packages” are also mentioned.
Scuba Diving (circulation 196,370)
The July 2004 issue of Scuba
Diving magazine
highlighted many of the events from the 8th
Annual Bonaire Dive Festival. Along with the
great diving, the Taste of Bonaire, Captain
Don’s birthday and Philippe Cousteau
Jr.’s keynote address were among the
events featured in the article.
Physician’s Travel & Meeting
Guide (circulation 142,267)
In the June 2004 issue of Physician’s
Travel & Meeting Guide, Bonaire
is named as the Caribbean destination for
scuba divers and snorkelers to vacation at
and to indulge in their aquatic passions.
The article also informs readers to keep
in mind that there are plenty of attributes
to amuse non-scuba divers and snorkelers.
Online Newsletters (combined circulation
200,000)
In the month of July, four online
newsletters included an article about how diving
will continue at Bonaire’s Town Pier.
The publications included Travel Agent, Caribbean
Travel News, Guide to Caribbean
Vacations, and Positive Tourism
News. Bonaire officials were recognized
for understanding the importance of the Town
Pier as a priceless dive asset.
About.com (circulation 36,000,000)
On June 16, About.com posted
an article about Bonaire’s delicate reef
conservation and how environmentally-aware
adventure travelers learned a great deal of
information by attending the 8th Annual Bonaire
Dive Festival.
Caribbean Travel & Life
Online (circulation 373,236)
On May 25, Caribbean Travel & Life posted
an article about Bonaire being recognized by National
Geographic Traveler for sustainable
tourism practices. Bonaire was the only Caribbean
destination recognized in the top third of
the score range. The article mentions a few
tourist attractions including Washington-Slagbaai
National Park, Bonaire National Marine Park,
and Klein Bonaire. Bonaire’s 800 number
and Web site are also listed.
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PERU
Birgit Bauer, Marketing Manager of KLM Lima,
sent us copies of the magazines and newspapers
with articles from the journalists that were
in Bonaire on a press trip.
El Comercio: In
its tourism edition of Monday, June 14 th, this
important newspaper dedicated a full-color front
page and another half page to Bonaire under the
tittle “ Embrujo
Marino.” The journalist Ivan Herrera
relates his experiences on the island and tells
readers that, although he knew that the main
atraction in Bonaire was under the sea, he was
even more surprised when he experienced it for
himself snorkeling and after taking a discover
SCUBA course--it was even more impressive.
He calls Bonaire the fantasy island recomending
it to Peruvians who dream about visiting the
Caribbean--there is nothing better than Bonaire
as an ideal to spot for kayaking, cycling, windsurfing
or just relaxing. There is also a guide for travellers
with tips on how to get to Bonaire on KLM and,
also various accommodations. He mentions Harbour
Village (host hotel), Plaza Resort and the small
ideal apartments for tourists. He also touts
the climate which is very tropical all year with
refreshing winds and a location that is out of
the hurricane belt. For more information, write Turismo@comercio.com.pe.
Viajar is a specialized
tourism magazine that, in its July edition,
on the front page says “Bonaire El Paraiso
del Buceo." Wonderful photographs
were selected by the journalist César
Chapoñán,
whose three full-color pages makes the readers
fall in love with the island. The shots of
the sea and beaches, the warmth of the people,
the blue color of the sky, great restaurants--all
great reasons to visit Bonaire.
He describes in detail the climate, the people,
the population, the hotels, restaurants, the
night life centered on the week ends .He stresses
outdoor activities and highlights windsurfing--even
mentioning Bonaire won two world titles--as
one of the many activities you can enjoy on the
island. He also tells of the excelent service
of the KLM flights. “If you have already
planned to escape from the noise and the commotion
of citylife and have not explored the wonders
found in the sea, don´t wait anymore--Discover
Bonaire and you will not want your holidays to
end."
SOMOS: This Peruvian
magazine dedicates two pages to Bonaire with
a suggestive title “Descanso y Deporte
se dan la mano.". The journalist
lets the readers know that they can find Bonaire
just a few hours from Lima--far
away, but so near to the crowded islands of Aruba
and Curacao. It is very different place where
you can immediately feel its tranquility,
and is an ideal location to get rid of all the
stress. The article tells the reader about
KLM's service, the hotels, focusing upon
Harbour Village, of its privileged turquoise-color
sea, white sand, and corals full of life that
you can enjoy diving or simply snorkelling. This
is the reason why the island recently celebrated
the Dive Festival that attracted almost 300 divers
from around the world. Bonaire is an island where
the people feel proud of their environmental
preservation.
Carrusel Tour Operator: We
are very pleased to have their 2004 sales manual
which promotes Bonaire and Curaçao
with KLM. It contains attractive programs with
the hotels Plaza Resort, Buddy Dive and Harbour
Village. They include 3 nights in Bonaire, 3
nights in Curaçao, accomodation and food,
according to each plan. E-mail toperator@viajesconcarrusel.com.
Bonaire in VIAJAR … “ El
Encanto del Caribe en SIT ”: The
magazine VIAJAR, in its July edition, highlights
the delegation from Bonaire with a colorful
Caribbean booth in SIT 2004 trade show that took
place in Lima in May. The tourism sector of the
region reports that more Peruvians are travelling
to the island because this year SIT
attracted many of Bonaire’s hotels
and TCB, all vying to improve business with
their Peruvian colleagues.
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VENEZUELA
Venezuelan events: The
end of June was a busy month due to the upcoming
high season in July, August and September,
where a Bonaire delegation represented by
SunRentals (Jossie & Muys),
Bellafonte (Sjoerd), Plaza Resort (Dave),
Hamlet, Windsock (Dorothy) and Friar’s
Inn, Hotel Bonaire (Roger) accepted our
invitation to attend the Venezuelan events.
There was a busy agenda which it possible
in just a few days to carry out strategic
meetings with the important dive and tour
operators, whose main focus was to have
the delegation understand the actual behavior
of the market. They also had a chance to
meet with the travel agents through the
events of Caribbean trade show and see
the seminars "Discover Bonaire", which
this year is in its VI edition. Also the
successful activity II Discovery Scuba
was provided in the framework of the incentive
program “a
diver in each travel agency”, whose
objective is to familiarize them with the
strength of the island--its diving.
The last event took place
in Valencia with an official Bonaire presentation
sponsored by TCB, hotels and Dutch Caribbean
Air that operates to Bonaire from Valencia
(via Curacao) with a daily flight.
DCA with problems in
their air operation: The connections
to Bonaire from Venezuela are each day becomes
more uncertain with DCA, which in recent
weeks have had serious operational problems
with their equipment. It is one of the reasons
why the Venezuelan press fam has been postponed
until after the summer season.
Bonaire promoted
by a little 10 year old girl: These
are the little things that make us feel proud
of our island. Our office constantly receives
requests for information from
the tourism sector and also from the general
public. In this case, the little girl wanted
to make a school report about the Netherlands
Antilles and she selected the island of Bonaire
because of the incredible marine world you
can see right at the shore.
Varig has a regular flight from
Sao Paulo to Aruba on Tuesdays.
In effect since July 6, Varig
began to operate weekly (Tuesdays) and on
a regular basis to Aruba from Sao Paulo. Tremendous
news for our Brazilian divers who now have
a new connection options to Bonaire via Aruba.
The flight makes a stopover in Caracas and
proceeds to Aruba.
Varig 8946 departure SAO 12:45 arriving
AUA 19:20
Varig 8947 departure AUA 21:00 arriving SAO
05:00
Round trip fare US$ 790 + tax
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ECUADOR
Bonaire is
promoted in Transport: As we commented
in the last Entre Nous, we have selected
this tourism magazine directed to the travel
agents and tourism sector, to promote Bonaire
with full color images that show all the
beauty of the island. The image campaign
consists of publishing one full color page
for the months of July to December and covering
the high season in Quito which started in
June and the one in Guayaquil at the beginning
of December. In August, the magazine will give
support to the image campaign with a full two-color
page report on Bonaire.
KLM and its official
Bonaire tour operators: At the
moment the promotion of the island is focused
on five tour operators that have the support
of special rates from KLM.
Icelandic
/Surland: Mrs. Magdalena Wiese e-mail: ar@icelandic.com.ec
Viamerica:
Mr. Mario León
e-mail: viamerica@viamerica.com.ec
Eurolatina:
Mrs. Cecilia Pérez
e mail: cecilia@eurolatina.com.ec
PGV : Mrs. Veronica Rueda
e mail : ruedav@pgv.com.ec
Rep Lujor: Lucia de Roca
e- mail: lucia@lujor.com
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BAB Buenos Aires promoting
Bonaire in Argentina: The group
of divers from this new dive operator returned
very happy from the island and their stay
in Buddy Dive Resort in July. As a result,
Bab Buenos Aires is promoting new packages
to Bonaire from October 9th to the 16th on
its website. For more information visit www.bab.com.ar.
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
Brazil - October 20th
to the the 26th – Sao
Paolo Boat 2004
Venezuela - November
8th to the 10th – Avavit
Trade show
For greater information of these events,
contact Yasmin at flamingorep@cantv.net
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NEWS
FROM THE TOURISM SECTOR
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Carnival
Adult Parade Dates:
2005
- 2011 |
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2005
- Feb 6
2006 - Feb 27
2007 - Feb 18
2008 - Feb 3
2009 - Feb 22
2010 - Feb 14
2011 - Mar 6 |
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August,
2004 - Family Month
TBA - 18th Copa Cultimara
at Sorobon
TBA - 8th Captain Don's Habitat race
TBA - 5 km run Preparation Fun Run
September,
2004
TBA - Duofest International
TBA - Bonaire Bikers MC Flag Day
Weekend 2003
Sep 6 - "Dia di Bonaire" Bonaire
Day (Rincon)
Sep 6 - 5 km Bonaire Day Fun Run 8am
Sep 6 - Sailing Race "Dia di Bonaire " at Kas di Regatta
Sep 18 - Underwater Cleanup at Bonaire Yellow Submarine at
1pm followed by potluck BBQ
TBA Tene Boneiru Limpi island wide cleanup
October, 2004
TBA - 8th Bonaire Mountain Bike Speed Challenge Race
TBA - Road Bike Race 60 km Bonaire Cycling
Oct 3-10 37th Bonaire International Sailing Regatta at Kas di Regatta
and Sorobon
TBA - 18th Comcabon Regatta
5 km WEB Run 5:30pm
Oct 21 - Antillean Day
Every Tuesday Night
@ 6:30pm -
BonaireTalker Dinner/Gathering at
Gibi's Terrace, call Jake at 717-6773
or email jake@bonairetalk.com
Click here for a detailed CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
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