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| Issue #17 12 March 2001 |
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| Entre Nous Bonaire's Monthly Newsletter |
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LOCAL REPORT |
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Bonairean kids dominated midwinter’s On February 28th 2001,
Bonaire’s windsurfing youth took off for Merit Island Florida to
participate in the Midwinter Windsurf Festival. On March the seventh
they returned bearing the rewards of their talent and the Bonairean
community was there to welcome them. The group consisted of kids
ranging from the age of 8 - 17 years, which is already a
remarkable event regarding the fact that the sport of windsurfing is
generally practiced by teenagers and adults. During the
tournament, the kids enthusiasm seem to have captured the attention of
all present, including the Florida press, livening up the atmosphere
at the Banana River with their stellar performances among the
professionals. The participants enjoyed sunny and windy weather
for the greater part of the competition, providing excellent conditions
for our boys to demonstrate their unique element, which is the
“freestyle”. Despite of a change of weather on the last day of
competition they pulled through naturally, obtaining the much At the time of the
prize-giving it was hard for anyone to contain their emotions, including
our Commissioner of Tourism Mr. Ramonsito Booi who got their just in
time for the finals. The last drop to fill the cup was when
Christiaan Dammers was awarded a scholarship to the Private High
School with Windsurfing at the Maui Ocean Academy. (picture
shows Christiaan Dammers; courtesy of the local newspaper extra) Entre – Nous is proud to announce the winners at the Midwinter Windsurf Festival by category: Kids WSF, 1st place Bjorn Saragoza, 2nd place Mosje Vingerhoets, 3rd place Ryan Sint Jago, 4th Archuendro Finies. Kids 6.5 Sport, 1st place Evertson Frans, 2nd place Christopher Bernabella, 3rd place Sammy Vingerhoets. Kids, 1st place Sammy Vingerhoets, 2nd place Kiri, 3rd Clay Finies. Formula Juniors, 1st place Cesar Finies, 2nd place Remsley Anthony, 3rd Andre Weldon USA. IMCO Juniors, 1st place Elton Frans, 2nd place John Azevedo USA, 3rd Gwensley Anthony. Formula Juniors, 1st place Christiaan Dammers, 2nd place Everon Frans, 3rd place Juvannie Thielman. And freestyle, 1st place Matt Pritchard USA, 2nd place Darby Marriot USA, 3rd place Ronald Mayer. A special thanks goes to all the individuals and companies that has made this trip possible for Bonaire's windsurfing youth.
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The above picture shows the arrival of the group that has participated at the Midwinter Windsurf Festival in Florida accompanied by Byron Tromp, the Lieutenant governor and Ramonsito Booi. (picture courtesy of the local newspaper extra) |
deserved
reward for their efforts.
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American Eagle announces non-stop service to Bonaire from San Juan, Puerto Rico
1999 marked a milestone for Bonaire's US airlift when Air Jamaica decided to add Bonaire as one of their Caribbean destinations. Within a year, a second weekly flight was added and a third is now in the planning stages. This year we are benefiting from additional charter service during winter months out of Boston, (GWV), and Toronto, (Canada 3000). We were also very pleased to announce that starting June 2, 2001 American Eagle will commence service to Bonaire from San Juan, Puerto Rico. American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, will introduce 3 weekly nonstop flights from San Juan, Puerto to Bonaire using a 64-seat Super ATR72 aircraft. This new service will provide visitors to Bonaire with more flexibility in choosing a flight route in the future. Stay tuned for more information about the flight schedule of this new service in the next EntreNous.
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Bonaire Restaurant Association's Dining Guide On February 1, 2001, the Divi Flamingo was the venue for the presentation of the new Bonaire Restaurant Association’s Dining Guide and Recipe pocket booklet. The reception, emceed by Ruth van Tilburg, president, saw Mr. Richard Hart, Bonaire’s Lt. Governor, “christen” the first guide with champagne, an Antillean custom for good luck.The booklet has 52 pages
and includes over 40 of the island’s best eateries, The Bonaire Restaurant Association again would like acknowledge the community support for the Guide. It would not have been possible without Budget Car Rental, Maduro Bank/American Express, Bonimex. Plaza Resort, Antillean Wine Company, Cultimara/Consales, Amstel, Best Buddies/Atlantis and Littman’s Jewelers. Additionally, thanks to Bonaire Affair and Consultants.com, NV who worked on the production. The guide is distributed
on island in the arrivals hall at Flamingo Airport, Car Rentals,
Hotel Front Desks, Maduro Bank, Restaurants and the TCB office at
the foot of Kaya Grandi. There will be an online version
ready shortly. Look for an announcement in EntreNous. |
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Since the beginning of the Rincon Local Market in 2000, this event has continued to be a success each month due to the increasing number of visitors visiting Rincon during this event. Locals and international visitors are enjoying the event held first Saturday of the month. It has become an excellent cultural event, which offers the opportunity to buy several local products like local food, local vegetables, home made souvenirs and much more. During the Rincon Local Market
in February, participants experienced the joy of
“kunukeros” (farmers) that has just tended their fields from
their own “kunuku” (farm). They were singing joyfully on
their way home, showing the sign that the harvest period
has begun. If you happen to be on Bonaire on the first Saturday of the
month don’t forget to visit the Rincon Local Market, which is growing
in popularity by not only locals but also international
visitors. For those that would like to receive a tour in Rincon during
the Rincon Local Market, the “SOLDACHI TOURS” will be there to
assist you with a walking or bus tour. For more information contact
maria koeks at wilmarie@bonairelive.com
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pictures courtesy of the local newspaper extra |
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fast food
spots, local snacks and restaurant suppliers. The reception was
highlighted by canapés, which were bite-sized samples of each of
the restaurants featured recipes. The wine and champagne were also
from the islands’ spirit dealers. 
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After much hard work, the Fifth
Annual Dive Festival (June 9 - 16, 2001) schedule
www.bonaire.coralreefalliance.org,
as is the Bonaire Dive Festival Sweepstakes, which can be found at
www.scubadiving.com/bonairefest,
where people can enter to win a trip to the Fifth Annual Dive
Festival.
The January 2001 issue of Travel lady
Magazine, an online magazine, contained a 16-page feature article on
Bonaire. With nine photos, this 16-age article touches
upon many activities in Bonaire, the island's history, restaurants,
accommodations and much, much more. This article is packed
full of information with links to many websites providing additional
information on Bonaire. This is one of many articles written
by Rob and Belkis Kambach who visited Bonaire on a press visit in
September 2000. TravelLady Magazine averages OVER SIX
MILLION READERS and over 420,000 hits per month.
For those who are interested the
article can be found at http://www.travellady.com/Issue50/Bonaire.htm
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Things really are starting to hum at new agency in Europe. As of January 1st, 2001 Bonaire is being represented by BASIS Communicatie, a Haarlem (NL) based marketing firm. The Project manager, Pieter Ewouds, will handle the Bonaire-account (europe@tourismbonaire.com). Those who haven't met him on Bonaire or at the WTM or Vakantiebeurs, will be able to at Duik Vaker, the Dutch Dive Show. The team is completed by Robert Bolhuis (strategy-director), Roger Davids (account-director) and of course a team of specialists, as well as a complete office staff. The new Bonaire telephone number will be: +31 23 5430704. MARKETING Beginning in 2001, Bonaire will begin a complete new marketing strategy based on the island-strategy in which a balance between nature and tourism is to be achieved. That means Bonaire's goal is to increase to number of tourists, but only by selecting the right type of visitor. Those who love our island as much as we do and, in their own way, take care of it during their stay. In short: those people who are related to the people we already welcome on our island. It takes one to know one, doesn't it? Because we know: Bonaire is so special, you only share it with your best friends! BASIS Communicatie's copywriter came up with the tagline: CAN YOU KEEP A LITTLE SECRET? In recent on-island marketing meetings, the new strategy was presented to Bonhata and BHG as well as Government. We can expect the rollout starting within the next months. KLM STARTS HOTEL RESERVATIONS As of 2001, KLM offers their clients the possibility to make hotel reservations while booking tickets. It will be an Internet based operation on www.klm.com. As of today no Bonaire resort is represented on the hotel database at the KLM-site. Those who would like to participate can contact the US-based company, WorldChoiceTravel, Att: Ms. Terry Watling (terry@wctravel.com). She can provide all the information on entering the database and so that you may begin to take advantage of this KLM service. PR-CAMPAIGN STARTS IN THE NETHERLANDS After Duik Vaker our new agency in Europe, BASIS Communicatie, will introduce starts a new PR-campaign. Selected Dutch journalists as well as newspapers and magazines will be targeted to promote Bonaire. "At first we need to have a top-of-mind", strategy-director Robert Bolhuis explains. "We noticed people know Bonaire's name, but don't know the beauty behind it. Too often Bonaire is mentioned as just another Caribbean Island, associated with shiploads of tourists, crime and violence. We have to achieve a mind switch!” After a general introduction, the PR-campaign will cover activities such as the Annual Dive Festival. BRAND NEW BOOTH
AT DUIK VAKER At the well-known dive show Duik Vaker on February 16-18 in Utrecht, Bonaire has presented a brand new booth. This year we have received 24 square meters (12 X 12), which means a lot of front space for so called 'interaction' with the visitors. Tour operators like ABC Travel and Does & Cadushi will flank Bonaire. The booth was divided in three parts, as Bonhata, BHG and TCB will participate. The booth was pink colored (remember, we are the flamingo island!) with blue accents (our beautiful Caribbean sea) and wasl displaying wonderful pictures of our underwater world. BASIS Communicatie has worked on a special surprise! Don’t miss the next edition of Entrenous for pictures! ITB BERLIN ITB was held this year on March 3 to 7. As in the past years, the show has given the Bonairean private sector a good \opportunity to meet German tour operators. In the next Entre-Nous you will be updated with on this show.
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Carnival
Holiday February 23/27 This year
we are happy that our Tour Operators had started to promote their tour
packages for the Carnival Holiday (Feb 23 to 27) early in January. In addition to the regular ALM seats we also had 3
charter flights contracted by Americana de Turismo, Arts &
Travel/Always and Gypsy Tours. Added to that, the prestigious newspaper
El Nacional, in its Sunday Tourism section, kept up coverage dedicated
to the Caribbean where Bonaire is mentioned as an option for eco
adventure for Carnival holiday. This
demonstrates that our institutional press campaign has further helped
our operators, who in taking care of their sales for Carnival have
already contracted their charter flight to Bonaire for Easter with GYPSY
TOURS. Recently,
during the Avavit trade show, TCB announced the 2001 marketing plan to
the Tour and Dive operators. It centers on promoting a product, which,
besides offering the best diving with solid, international prestige, is
also rediscovered as a destination for eco adventure In the Caribbean.
Within this concept and with excellent reception from the operators and
the press in general, our image for 2001 is beginning to materialize:
BONAIRE "DIVE, RELAX, ADVENTURE" Promoting
among the Travel Agents With a
program schedule, we’ve started to contact the Travel Agents in
Caracas that call TCB looking for more information about the island and
its properties. The results have been excellent!
We’ve also started up mini seminars entitled "Discover
Bonaire," where operator and sales personnel of the principal Tour
Operators are trained in their own offices. At the end
January, ALM raised their prices to some of their Caribbean destinations
out of Caracas; Bonaire and Aruba maintained their tariff at US$170
round trip while Curacao kept their rate at US$143.00 from Caracas. New
telephone area code numbers for Venezuela The telephone company, CANTV, informed us of progressive changes in are codes in their cities. Telephone Area Codes Changed to: Caracas 2
212 Feb 24-01 Barquisimetro
51 251 July 14-01 Maracay 43
243 April 21–01 Margarita
95 295 March 24–01 Maracaibo
61 261 May 19-01 Mérida 74
274 April 21-01 Pto. Ordaz
86 286 June 16-01 Valencia 41
241 March 24-01 For more
information regarding other Venezuelan cities available on the web page:
www.cnatel.gov.ve We are
pleased to announce that for the 2nd consecutive year, BONAIRE
is the winner of the competition for the best advertising space in the
Blue Pages (Yellow Pages) of the Agenda of the Sea for the year 2001. This is an
environmental project that started in Colombia in 1991 and is dedicated to
the sea and the conservation of our planet. Bonaire has maintained its
promotion of quality diving for the last two- (2) years in this agenda.
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FRIENDS OVER THE YEARS.... (courtesy
of Carib Inn)
This year at the Carib
Inn, Valentine’s Day was a day for celebrating "Friends Over The
Years". More than 40 people joined together to honor special guest,
Larry Levin, who has visited Bonaire more than 50 times over the past 27 On hand to help celebrate
were Nel Nicholas, Cap’t Don Stewart, Ebo Domacasse, and Basilio Marin
all from the original staff at Aquaventure. Also attending were guests
and staff of Carib Inn, among which was Rishi Anthony, (Pali Wiri), who
entertained. Snacks were provided by the hotel school that Nel operates.
Don, Bruce and Larry provided the stories. Also honored at this
party were other guests who have been returning to Bonaire year after
year. Just to mention those who were present at Carib Inn (either
staying or diving there) during the month of February ’01, we have:
Over 30 trips each: Sonie and Campbell Wood Over 20 trips each: Tom
& Cathy Urban, Al & Sally Galiani, Lee Bray, Andy Uhr, Cathy
Levin, Bud Griswold, Mary Gessner, Phyllis Blackburn, Cass Joslin, Bill
& Susan Tinsley, Jack & Phyllis Reinke, John Blanos Over 10 trips each: Ron
& Judy Hall, Kelly, Nicholas, Courtney and Connor Smith, Jan &
Merle Larson, Donald & Judith Bernstein, Jane & Jerry Goldberg,
Betty & Rich Dziurzynski, Bob & Marisa TenEick, John Henry Levin The guest of honor, Larry
Levin, says he returns to Bonaire because :" The people are so warm
and friendly and the diving is spectacular. The island has maintained
its ambiance and character over the years thanks to the emphasis on
ecology and keeping the island clean. I have six boys – the
first three are older and were certified as divers by Bruce, and Kitty
certified my wife. My 7-year-old and 4-year-old are already into
snorkeling and think of Bonaire as their second home. My two-year-old
loves being in a life jacket and swimming with us in the ocean. We look
forward to having them certified here & diving with us in our
Bonaire home. The whole family has had many enjoyable visits to
Washington Park to watch the birds and iguanas. The Indian Inscriptions,
Sera Largu, and Prisca’s ice cream are required visits for each trip.
There’s nothing like the beautiful view of Rincon, after a drive
through scenic Karpata and around Goto Meer, visiting the flamingoes. We
hope it never changes! With the recent drop in
tourism on Bonaire, it is interesting that the people mentioned above
have made a combined total of more than 650 trips, averaging more than
18 trips per person! Why do they keep coming back? Some reasons given were:
beautiful weather, Bonaire is so clean, people a
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During the Carnival
week, Plaza Resort together with Toucan Diving have organized an
educative snorkeling program, AquaKids, for kids of 5 – 15 years. The
Aqua Kids program is a 5-day snorkel program providing the kids with not
only snorkel skills but also hands-on and water 1st day:
Introduction to the reef, combined with a mini Skin Diver course; Fish
identification; Snorkel trip to 18th Palms 2nd day:
Introduction to our club project; Snorkel skills & games; Aqua art
project. 3rd day: Boat
trip to Klein Bonaire; Out & In water games; Scavenger hunt 4th day: Introduction
to our PADI ”SASY” equipment – breathing compressed air with a
scuba-unit on the surface; Snorkel Skills; Treasure hunt 5th day:
Finishing our projects; Surprise Trip; Certification For more information about the Aqua Kids Program, contact Anette Kops at phone: 717-7557 or e-mail: Aquaadventures@bonairelive.com
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‘Green
Thumb’ for Buddy Dive, Habitat and Plaza The Green Thumb
logo is a “seal of approval”, which Travel Unie Holland
uses in
their brochures to award accommodations that contribute to the
sustainability of nature and the environment.
On
Bonaire, so far three properties have been awarded this distinction.
They are Buddy Beach & Dive Resort, Captain Don’s Habitat and
Plaza Resort Bonaire. The
Green Thumb has been awarded to hotels that have scored a minimum of 5
out of the 8 following criteria:
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Swiss tour operators on Bonaire! On February 2 – 4, 2001, the Swiss
tour operators from ESCO REISEN, Barbara Keller and Claudia Stuber have
visited Bonaire on a fa
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years. He started diving with Captain Don and Bruce Bowker at
Aquaventure in the early 70’s. Then when Bruce opened the Carib Inn in
1980, he became a regular guest.
re so friendly, I feel
safe at night here, good drinking water, good restaurants and shops,
concern for nature, Bonaire doesn’t get aggressive tourists like they
do in Aruba. The reason given most often was the good condition of the
reefs and variety of fish life. Campbell Wood summed it all up by
saying, " Most of all we keep coming back because we always enjoy
ourselves!"
intensive
classes about the underwater world. Thirty-eight kids have subscribed
for this 5-day snorkel program during the Carnival week (February 24 –
28, 2001). Anette Kops, at Plaza Resort, gave this program together with
other dive masters. Special thanks goes to sponsors such as Toucan
Diving at Plaza Resort, Sand Dollar Dive, Great Adventures and Jake
Richter that have made this program possible. The Aqua Kids program is
still offered
at Plaza Resort under the supervision of Anette Kops. The program is not
restricted to guests of Plaza Resort and consists of the following
activities (activities may vary
during the week)
miliarization
trip. A special thanks goes to our tour guide Rolando Marin that has
done his ultimate best to show these tour operators the best of Bonaire.
TCB would like to thank
New
restaurant in town
On January 26, 2001,
the islander has opened its doors to the community of Bonaire and its
visitors. The Guyanan couple Tulsie and Davik
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On February 6-8, 2001, Martin Brinkmann and Dirk Schoenian from
Rundfunk, Germany, reperesenting a German TV station were on Bonaire to
capture some images of B
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Bonaire
Tourism Arrivals 2000
Bonaire's tourism industry has encountered many challenges in 2000, which resulted in a decline of 16.6% compared to 1999. Several factors such as ad hoc changes within airlift supply, low number of rooms on island to sell internationally, and adverse publicity concerning a natural disaster has contributed to the tourism decline in 2000. However, the changes within airlift supply were the main factor that impacted the tourist flow to the island in 2000. Problems concerning the airlift are continuously monitored and improved by the Tourism Corporation Bonaire together with the government. Overall, North America is the main generating market for the past ten years accounting in 2000 for 52% of the total tourist arrivals to Bonaire. Europe and South America accounted in 2000 respectively for 35% and 9% of the total tourist arrivals. Diving has historical been and still is the primary activity that has contributed to the attractiveness of Bonaire. Of the total amount of tourist that came to Bonaire in 2000, 50% came for diving of which 71% came from the USA. For January 2001, the total tourist arrivals has increased by 10.86% compared to January 2000. The total flights per week in January 2001 were increased by flights from GWV, Canada 3000, and one additional flight of both Air Jamaica and KLM. For the rest of the year, TCB is waiting anxiously on the result that the 3 weekly flight of American Eagle, starting in June 2001, would have on the total tourist arrivals. For more information concerning the above figures or to request an annual report contact the statistical department at tcbstatistics@bonairelive.com
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a
are the owners of the islander. The restaurant has a variety of dishes to
offer; you can enjoy a delicious Creole breakfast while for lunch and
dinner, a variety of Caribbean dishes will be available every day.
You are also encouraged to bring your kids along for lunch and dinner
since they have dedicated a small play area for the kids.
| March 2001 | ||
| 11 | 3 km run Stadion Kralendijk | |
| 18 | Road Race 40 km and 70km Bonaire Cycling | |
| 22-24 | International Fishing Tournament | |
| * | Wave Challenge at Lac Bai Cai | |
| April 2001 | ||
| 8 | Simadan (Harvest) Festival in Rincon | |
| 8 | 5km/17km MCB Run Stadion Kralendijk | |
| 13 | Good Friday | |
| 15 | Easter Sunday | |
| 22 | Earth Day | |
| 29 | Queen's Birthday Sailing Race | |
| 30 | Rincon Day | |
| 30 | Queen Birthday | |
| 30 | 17 km Run | |
| May 2001 | ||
| 1 | Labor Day | |
| 19 | 5th Bonaire Mountain Bike Challenge Race | |
| 20 | Road Race 80 km Cycle Bonaire | |
| 24 | Ascension Day | |
| 27 | 3km run Race | |
| * | Dutch Antilles Windsurfing Challenge (Lac Bai Cai) | |
| * To be announced | ||
| For a complete calender of events visit our website at www.infobonaire.com | ||
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For a complete calendar of events visit our website at http://www.infobonaire.com/ Note: Dates are subject to change. 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: tcb@bonairelive.com - thank you. *To unsubscribe or subscribe go to http://www.bonaireentrenous.com ********************************************* Tourism Corporation Bonaire Kaya Grandi #2 Bonaire Dutch Caribbean Tel: 599-717-8322/ 8649 Fax: 599-717-8408 E-mail: tcb@tourismbonaire.com Website address: http://www.infobonaire.com/ **************************************************** |
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Bonaire's Monthly Newsletter Tourism Corporation Bonaire E-mail: tcb@tourismbonaire.com |
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