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| Issue # 27 08 March 2002 | |
| Entre Nous Bonaire's Monthly Newsletter |
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Entre Nous is the monthly newsletter from the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB), Netherlands Antilles. In this newsletter you will find the accomplishments of TCB in Bonaire, North America, South America and Europe and the newest developments within the tourism industry. We hope that you will read it with pleasure and if you have something that you think is relevant for the tourism sector to know just fax it to 717-8408 or email to: tcb@bonairelive.com.
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| HAPPY
BIRTHDAY........ On February 26, 2002, The Tourism Corporation Bonaire celebrated the birthday of the director of tourism, Elsmarie Beukeboom. All the warmest wishes to her and we all hope that now she's ......., she will be acting that way too. Now can you fill in the blank just e-mail your guess to tcb@bonairelive.com ; we have placed her picture below maybe that will help.
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The
Bonaire Sailing Team Returns from Midwinters Windsurfing Festival
with 14 trophies! The 17th Annual Calema Midwinters Windsurfing Festival saw the return of the incredible Bonaire Sailing Team. During the week of February 26th over 21 youths from Bonaire raced, competed and dominated every category in windsurfing. While the weather was cold, gray and bleak much of the week, the smiles and camaraderie of these unstoppable athletes warmed the hearts of all who had the privilege of meeting the now famous, Bonaire Kids. The windsurfing event is held in Merritt Island Florida. Hours of time on the water at Lac Bay in Bonaire resulted in 14 medals for the gifted windsurfers. Not only does practice pay off in the long run, the personal satisfaction to represent a small Caribbean nation is a true honor for all. Freestyle- Juniors: 1. Juvannie Thielman, 2. Evertson (Choko) Frans, 3.
Uclyatis, Emer Freestyle
Big Kids: 1.
Demenson (Kiri) Thode, 2. Sammy Vingerhoets Freestyle
-Superkids: Freestyle
-Superkids: 1.
Christina
Dammers,2.
Nikisha Abdull,
3.
Daphne Paparis Freestyle
Men:3.Everon (Tonky) Frans -NB7 Formula
Youth: 1. Christiaan Dammers, 2. Juvannie Thielman Sports
Formula Youth:
1.Choko
Frans,2.Chris
Bernabella,3.Clay Emers Formula Kids:1. Sammy Vingerhoets, 2. Kiri Thode, 3. Farouk Balentien 4.
Ryan Sint Jago IMCO
Youth Winner: Taty Frans Article
courtesy of Ann Phelan: She is the US based public relations person
for the Bonaire Sailing Team. She is also the Event Coordinator for the 4th
Annual Verizon King of the Cape and King of the Caribbean.
Picture
courtesy of the local newspaper Extra |
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Rooi
Lamoenchi ( What
was begun as a labor of love now has become showcase for |
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The first Saturday of every month, the center of Rincon, Bonaire’s oldest settlement, is transformed into a unique market. It is an experience that visitors to our island seldom have the opportunity to see and enjoy. The market is a microcosm of Bonairean culture, with crafts, displays of flora and fauna and the chance to enjoy some authentic Kuminda Krioyo (local food). You can even pet a goat and talk to experts from LVV, the local dept. of agriculture. As with any local celebrations, there is music to entertain and lots of knowledgeable people to talk with. Visitors can arrange a tour of Rincon and learn more about this area. Rincon facts: The current governor of the entire Netherlands Antilles, Mr. Miguel Pourier and the current Prime minister are both natives of Rincon.
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It
was very successful holiday since Bonaire was visited by more than 60 Venezuelan
divers from Feb 08th to the 12th. They enjoyed the pristine dive
sites of the Bonaire Marine Park and we would like to say thanks for the effort of
the Dive Operator Chichiriviche Divers who chartered four –4- (Lec 15
seat) airplanes. In
the leisure traveler segment a Dash (48 seat), Aerotuy plane was chartered
by Zumaque Operator. Host Hotel was Plaza
Resort. Added to that the newspaper El Nacional promoted the Caribbean destinations where Bonaire was mentioned as an option for relaxing and diving in Carnival Holidays. Back to top |
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At
the middle of February, DCE had a restructuring of the fares promoting
the ABC Island with the following rates for round trip tickets: Curacao:
US$ 135 Aruba: US$ 160 Bonaire:
US$ 165 Actually
DCE has scheduled three daily flights from Caracas to Bonaire. The
first leavesone at 10:55 am and arrives on the island at 13:30. No more
early birds flights as we usually had before. |
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Quito
& Guayaquil to Bonaire by KLM The KLM operation that is going to begin now in August, has the operators in the region very motivated. Icelandic del Ecuador (one of the strongest ones) which have been in contact with our TCB office in Caracas since the beginning knew the KLM´s Ecuador operation was going to happen, has been sent an official Bonaire Video, full color Bonaire posters and Vacation Planners. All these promotional materials in Spanish. |
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Promoting
Bonaire in “Las Piedras” As Royal Aruban is about to begin operations to the Venezuelan cities of Las Piedras and Maracaibo to Bonaire, we have started to contact the travel agents in Punto Fijo (Las Piedras is where the airport is located). We found 13 travel agencies that were very surprised with our telephone call and now they’re very interested to receive general information of the island of Bonaire and the special packages from the hotels. For information of these travel agencies please contact the TCB office in Caracas at flamingorep@telcel.net.ve
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March 27th to
31th
Easter week April 18th to
21st
Declaration of the Independence June 21st to
24th
Simon Bolivar’s Day July 04th to
07th
Independence Day July 15th to
September 15th Summer Vacations December
Christmas season This dates are important to know because according with the availability of the properties, the hoteliers along with the operators, can promote attractive packages
for the Venezuelan market. |
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poExpo
Caribe 2002 trade show - June 25th/26th Important
news for Hoteliers
The
organization of Avavit trade show is inviting all of us to attend the
first Caribbean Exposition to be held in Caracas at the Tamanaco Hotel on
June 25th and 26th. Expo Caribe
2002 will be an excellent opportunity to present our product to more than
3000 travel agents and also Tour & Dive Operators and the Business
Corporations that will attend the Trade Show. For more information on the event, please contact our office at flamingorep@telcel.net.ve |
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Boot fair 2002 in Düsseldorf was successful The boot fair in Düsseldorf from the 19th till 27th of January was very busy as it is every year. Not only Germans come to visit but also many interested people from neighbouring countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. The Bonaire booth was integrated in the Dutch Caribbean display with our 5 sister islands. Ellen and Robert have both attended the show for one day and spoke with many people from the trade and press. All our new promotion materials such as the Mini magazine and the Dive-map, were available in the German language. Back to top |
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Duikvaker show 22nd –24th of February This year Bonaire was again present at the duikvaker dive show. The design of the booth was the same as last year. Bonaire has also sponsored the parking tickets during this show. This has given us the opportunity to create direct awareness of Bonaire and its diving possibilities. The tickets consist of two parts . On the first part at the top was the parking fee with next to it the booth number. The second part below was a map of Bonaire with the diving spots and a fact file. The consumer was be able to tear this part off and save it. |
PROMOTING BONAIRE IN EUROPE....
Newsletter
designed in a harmonica model
A new newsletter in a harmonica A6 format has been designed, which is quite remarkable. The newsletter will contain several Bonaire news items and information about diving in Bonaire. On the back of the newsletter a reply card where people can request more information about Bonaire. This newsletter will also be send to tour operators, travel agents and dive-shops and schools 100 Dive-shops and schools are being contactedWe are also currently visiting the top 100 Dive-shops and Dive-schools to encourage them to tell their clients to visit Bonaire for a diving holiday. Two days a week we are on the road to inform and suppl all the necessary promotion materials of Bonaire. Our most important goal is to make the dive sector enthusiastic to visit Bonaire. Distribution of new German Mini Magazine and Dive-mapsBesides The Boot fair in Germany we also mailed the important German Tour operators and the Dive related businesses. We provided them with the new Mini Magazine, dive map and a response form for more information and how to order more Mini magazines and Dive-maps. The response out of the market was encouraging. Dutch and English Dive-mapA Dutch and English version of the newly developed dive-map has also been produced. In Holland, we have distributed copies to the tour operators, the dive sector, travel agents and the press. The English version will be ready in 2 weeks time for distribution. Diving brochure for consumersDiving brochures directed to the consumers are being developed, these brochures will be distributed to dive schools and dive shops. The dive brochure will feature information regarding Bonaire's diving experience. The concept will be ready next week and the whole brochure will be ready at the end of March.
Personal
visits to tour operators
Ellen is preparing a sales presentation on Bonaire and will personally visit all the major tour operators and retail chains to explain the possibilities on Bonaire for the new tour operators and to encourage them to include Bonaire in their new brochure. Also she will see the existing tour operators Bonaire to promote the dual destinations possibilities and to see how we can support the retail chains. SNP –natuurreizen, the first new (South America) tour operator for BonaireWith the upcoming airlift to Ecuador via Bonaire, we have interested SNP –natuurreizen to add Bonaire as a destination for an extended stay after they have visited Ecuador. In the brochure of this year they promoted Buddy Dive with a dive arrangement. We hope more tour operators will follow.
Press
trip to Bonaire and other news of the press
We have got huge responseto our invitation for a press trip. For the up coming week a selection will be made from the responses. Recently, the magazine ‘Avenue’ went to Bonaire to feature an article in the June edition about the culture and the inhabitants. An article about The new Bonaire Dive-map are also being prepared. In the trade press like Reisrevue, Reisburo and Travelution there were publications about presentations of the Bonaire Golden Flamingo. Advertising and the dive-map in the most prominent Diving magazinesWe have prepared and delivered advertisements to the following magazines: Diver, Sportdiver, Unterwasser, tauchen and Duiken. They are various in sizes but most of the advertisements are 1/2 or 1 page. It will be published in the edition of March. We will enclose the Dive-map as well in Diver, tauchen and duiken.. Bonaire diploma’sThe travel agents that qualified for the Bonaire diploma can expect their diplomas within two weeks time. Partly we will mail them and partly we will personally bring them to the agents. The major agents of course will be visited e.g. van der Valk where the whole reservation department has qualified. |
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Announcing New Owners of Buddy Dive ResortThe Rauwers family is pleased to announce the sale of Buddy Dive Resort to Martien and Ingrid Van Der Valk of Bonaire. It is the intention of Martien and Ingrid to preserve the Resorts casual, personable atmosphere, a formula that has made Buddy Dive one of the most successful resorts on Bonaire, and in fact one of the best dive resorts in the world. Joop and Yvonne Rauwers, developers of the Buddy Dive property, retired from active management of the Resort in 1997. “Yvonne and I determined it was time to sell the Resort to enable us to more fully enjoy our retirement. The sale would also allow our daughter Debby, who has managed the Resort since our departure, to explore new career opportunities outside of Bonaire. So we sought and were lucky to find an independent buyer who we know will maintain the Buddy Dive ‘family’ spirit that we have nurtured over the years,” said Mr. Joop Rauwers. “The unique personality of Buddy Dive Resort fits in perfectly with our long standing family tradition of managing properties where personal ties with both our guests and our staff are of central importance. We look forward to continuing the Buddy Dive traditions and standards set by Joop, Yvonne and Debby,” said Martien and Ingrid Van Der Valk. Buddy Dive Resort, the home of the famous Drive & Dive Package, is a PADI 5-Star Gold Palm oceanfront resort known for its casual atmosphere, personable staff, spacious accommodations, two pools, the Dock of the Bay Restaurant, and a Dive & Activity Center offering a unique drive- thru air and Nitrox fill station, ocean kayaks, mountain bikes, and more. Buddy Reef is a simple giant stride away from the Dive Center, as are the dive boats and Resorts own fleet of rental vehicles. Drive & Dive Packages including 8 days/7 nights accommodations, 6 days of unlimited shore diving, 7 days rental vehicle, daily breakfast buffet, airport transfers and all government taxes start for as little as $685 per person based on 6 people sharing a three bedroom apartment. For more information contact: Carol Bradovchak at buddydiveresort@peoplepc.com |
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The much anticipated
first edition of the Bonaire Cruiser guide is |
Jan ArtThe JanArt Gallery is open for visitors
at Kaya Gloria 7. The Gallery has many land and underwater paintings
of Bonaire for sale. Visit the Gift Shop for: Original Paintings in Oil, Watercolor and Acrylic, Reasonably priced Souvenir Prints, Driftwood and Sea Glass Recycled Art, Note Cards, Photographs, Video tapes "The Nature of Bonaire", Art Supplies. Art Classes & WorkshopsThere are drawing classes for adults as well as kids. Water color, oil or acrylic are all taught by Janice. In addition, there are also workshops for travelers Option 1: Go on an outdoor excursion with Janice to beautiful spots in Bonaire to paint local scenes along the coast or inland. Option 2: Learn to paint underwater scenes with reef and fish photo references provided by Janice. Visit the JanArt Gallery at Kaya Gloria 7, Tuesday through Saturday. Daily hours may vary due to workshop schedules. Friday from 5:00 – 7:00pm is Open House with Happy Hour. For more information contact Janice Huckabay at JanArt@bonairelive.com |
now ready for distribution. This publication will help to promote
Bonaire and its many cruiser related business establishments. It will be
distributed on island at Customs, Budget Marine and advertisers. It
will also be available at all Budget Marines throughout the Caribbean as
well as selected marinas. A web site,
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March 2002 |
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| 2 | Rincon Market Day | ||
| TBA | 3 KM Run Stadium Kralendijk | ||
| TBA | Road Race 40 KM and 70 KM Bonaire Cycling | ||
| TBA | International Fishing Tournament | ||
| TBA | Wave Challenge at Lac Bay Cai | ||
| 24 | 5KM Fun Run, starting at Kralendijk Stadium | ||
| 29 | Good Friday, banks and shops are closed | ||
| 31 | Easter Sunday | ||
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April 2002 |
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| 1 | Easter Monday, Banks and shops closed | ||
| 6 | Rincon Market Day | ||
| TBA | Simadan (harvest) Festival, Rincon | ||
| TBA | 5km MCB Run Stadium Kralendijk | ||
| TBA | Dutch Queen's Birthday Sailing Race | ||
| 30 | Rincon Day | ||
| 30 | Queen's Birthday (Dutch Queen) | ||
| 30 | 17 km Run (MCB) | ||
| May 2002 | |||
| 1 | Labor Day | ||
| 2-5 | Lions Club International Convention District E-1 | ||
| 4 | Rincon Market Day | ||
| 9 | Ascension Day | ||
| 26 | 5 K Fun Run | ||
| TBA | 6th Bonaire Mountain Bike Challenge Race | ||
| TBA | Road Race 80 Km Cycle Bonaire | ||
| TBA | Dutch Antilles Windsurfing Challenge (Lac Bai Cai) | ||
| TBA = To be announced Back to top | |||
| Click here
for a detailed CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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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 (+) 599 717 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: (+) 599-717-8322/ 8649 Fax: (+) 599-717-8408 E-mail:tcb@bonairelive.com Website address: http://www.infobonaire.com/ **************************************************** |