Whether you were strolling through the exhibitor's pavilion, or watching the action at the Scuba Pool, Bonaire seemed to be everywhere at Ocean Fest 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, FL April 15-17. The only consumer dive show actually held on the beach, the atmosphere of the show really highlights the message that Scuba Diving is Fun; and the Bonaire contingent made sure that everyone realized that no where was it more fun than in Bonaire. Andre Nahr, Pascal de Meyer and Robert de Klok were on hand from the island, while Carol Bradovchak,  Chris Archer, William Cline, Edward Pietersz and Candice Kimmel (TCB-NYC) attended from stateside. ABC television covered the event, and their viewers got the Bonaire message when the Scuba Tour's "Big Wave Dave" announced that the winner of the Scuba Pool contest would win a trip to Plaza Resort in Bonaire, the number one dive destination in the Caribbean.

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HD Undersea, the scuba diving pilot TV show filmed in Bonaire last year by Archway Television, is the winner of the Houston Worldfest Independent Film Festival. Brian Hedenberg, who filmed the pilot television show during Bonaire’s 2004 Dive Festival, will travel to Houston, TX to accept his award. Archway Television has contacted over 23 television networks internationally that have shown interest in the series and plans are in the works to film 13 more one-hour episodes.

Click here to download the article in Caribbean Travel & Life (6.7 MB)

A fantastic eleven page feature article in the May 2005 issue of Caribbean Travel & Life, introduces readers to the wide variety of activities to learn to do while on Bonaire including windsurfing, kiteboarding, kayaking, biking, hiking, and of course, diving; highlighting that lessons are also available for all skill levels at hotels and from local shop owners. Visually stunning, the article includes nearly 20 color photos as well as details of Amerigo Vespucci’s and Captain Don Stewart’s expeditions to Bonaire.   Buddy Dive Resort, Captain Don’s Habitat, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, Harbour Village Beach Club, Plaza Resort Bonaire, and Sand Dollar Condominium Resort are all mentioned as places to stay.  Bonaire’s 800 number and web site are listed with travel tips including passport information, airline information, and currency exchange rate.  This article is available online by visiting www.caribbeantravelmag.com or download it. In addition, Bonaire is mentioned in the Caribbean Calendar section with a listing of the dates for King of the Caribbean and in the Caribbean Travel Specials section with mention of AA Eagle's new schedule to Bonaire and dive packages for Buddy Dive, Captain Don's and Plaza Resort Bonaire.

Men’s Journal (circulation 620,614): In the May 2005 issue of Men’s Journal magazine, diving in Bonaire was selected as one of only eight of the top 100 adventures to be featured on the cover with a four color photo. Bonaire was described as a blue heaven in a special section about the 100 greatest adventures and diving in Bonaire was the first adventure listed in the Mexico/Caribbean section. The Windsock, South Bay and Town Pier dive sites are described in the writer’s recollection of his dive trip to Bonaire. A dive package from Harbour Village Beach Resort is listed with contact information. In addition to Bonaire’s photo on the cover of the magazine, a photo also appears in the table of contents, and a large photo accompanies the inside article. This article is not available online.

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The entire US database, made up of Bonaire's past visitors and those who have requested information about Bonaire, received a mailing of the Family Post Cards and Family Self-Mailers in April touting " Bonaire's Sun-sational Summer."  The message listed the myriad activities families and visitors alike could try while on island and highlighted the fact that Bonaire hotels had great packages and activities of their own to offer.

Bonaire was well represented during the April planning meetings of this year's Caribbean Week in New York City, May 29- June 4, 2005 by Marie Rosa (TCB-NYC). Traditionally, Caribbean Week has been a week-long series of meetings attended by all categories of CTO's membership who come to New York to discuss issues affecting the development, promotion and sustainability of Caribbean tourism. Due to the overwhelming success of the past two years, the CTO decided to maintain a program of consumer-focused events during Caribbean Week in an effort to generate interest among the general public.

To launch the opening of Caribbean Week, the CTO will host a special interfaith service in celebration of the Caribbean region's diverse spiritual heritage on Sunday, May 29th. In addition to the interfaith celebration, CTO is planning an exciting Caribbean Fair & Do It Caribbean Wedding Exposition at the South Street Seaport in downtown New York City, which will bring together all 32 destinations, on Tuesday, May 31st. Bonaire’s booth will be decorated with our banners, flyers and our summer packages will be ready for distribution. That same day, in the evening, there will be Town Hall Meetings in the Bronx and Brooklyn welcoming residents to speak candidly with participating Ministers of Tourism about the Caribbean and other pending issues. On Wednesday, June 1st, the Caribbean Media Marketplace will be held at the New York Hilton to provide CTO member governments with the chance to interact with journalists from trade and consumer media. On Thursday June 2nd, Jamaica is hosting an evening of entertainment at the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem and finally, on June 3rd, the 32nd Annual Governments of the Caribbean State Ball and Awards presentation will be held at the Waldorf Astoria. For more information about Caribbean Week in New York City, visit or www.caribbeanweekny.com or www.onecaribbean.org

During April two issues of Bonaire EZ News were written and distributed to our database of more than 25,000 consumers and travel agents.  The April 18th issue of Bonaire EZ News focused on island, hotel, dive operator and airline news.  The April 29th issue of EZ News focused on family vacations to Bonaire for summer 2005 and all of the great activities for parents and kids. 

In April two press releases were distributed on Dive Newswire.  Distributed on April 6th the release focused on the new American Eagle flights available to/from Bonaire in April to September.  Distributed on April 26th was a press release on the success of Bonaire's web site for diving professionals www.bonairedivingpro.com and the recent addition of the technical diving page. Dive Newswire is distributed electronically to more than 6,000 dive shop owners, manufacturers as well as media outlets . 

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 April two press releases were distributed.  The first press release focused on American Airlines/American Eagle’s flights for April to September to/from Bonaire.  The press release, while written in March, was not distributed until early April as we were awaiting confirmation of the new flight schedule before distribution.  This press release was distributed to all appropriate media outlets and on Dive Newswire on April 6th.  In late April, a press release on the success of Bonaire's web site for diving professionals and the recent addition of the technical diving page was written.  It was distributed on Dive Newswire on April 26th.

Freelance Travel Writer: Deborah Williams

Plans were finalized in the month of April for the press visit of travel writer Deborah Williams to Bonaire.  Deborah, along with her husband, who is a photographer, and her niece, who is a diver, visited Bonaire April 14-22 and were accommodated at Captain Don's Habitat and Hamlet Bonaire with diving provided by Photo Tours (while at Hamlet).  Deborah was on-island to gather information for articles on diving and bone fishing, as well as about Captain Don's upcoming 80th birthday. She will be writing articles for the Toronto Star (circulation 980,000), Asbury Park Press (a NJ newspaper with a circulation of 240,000) and Western New York Family Magazine (a family magazine distributed in the Buffalo, Niagara Falls area with a monthly circulation of 26,500). Thanks to everyone for making this press visit so successful!

We began working with Windsurfing Magazine, which will be sending Managing Editor Jay Kohn and Photographer Glenn Dubock to Bonaire to cover the King of the Caribbean windsurfing event in May.  Over the course of the next few weeks we will assist them in making all necessary arrangements.

Scuba Diving (circulation 185,000): Bonaire was represented well in an article about the top twelve destination diving packages in the April 2005 issue of Scuba Diving magazine. Coming in at number six was the “Toucan Dive for One” package at the Plaza Resort Bonaire. Number nine was a single’s diving special at Captain Don’s Habitat, number ten was the “Digital Shootout” package being offered at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort and number twelve was the “Dive and Drive” package being offered at Buddy Dive Resort. Contact information was listed for each hotel mentioned. This article is not available online; however, other articles featuring Bonaire are available online at www.scubadiving.com.

Windsurfing Magazine (circulation 70,098): In the April 2005 issue of Windsurfing Magazine, Bonaire’s King of the Caribbean event was featured in the Travel Notes section. Lac Bay was noted for being the “perfect venue” for KOTC because of the flat water and trade winds that peak throughout May. The article mentions that packages are available at Kontiki Beach Club and equipment rentals are available at Jibe City. The Bonaire Pros web site is listed (www.bonairepros.com). This article is not available online; however, other articles featuring Bonaire are available online at www.windsurfingmag.com.

Ottawa Sun (circulation 55,000): Bonaire was featured in an article that catered to vacationers with special interests in the February 28, 2005 issue of the Ottawa Sun. Bonaire was suggested for vacationers who have a special interest in scuba diving and snorkeling because it has been voted one of the best dive spots in the world. Bonaire’s web site was listed. To read the full article please visit www.ottawasun.ca and search Bonaire in the archives. There is a fee required to read archived articles.

Travel Agent (circulation 50,000): The March 7, 2005 issue of Travel Agent magazine featured several diving packages currently being offered by Bonaire properties including Buddy Dive, Captain Don’s, Divers Paradise Bonaire, Divi Flamingo, Golden Reef Inn, Harbour Village, the Plaza Resort, and Tropical Inn Bonaire. Package details and contact information were listed for all of the properties listed above. Bonaire’s 800 number and web site were also listed. This article is not available online; however, other articles featuring Bonaire are available online at www.travelagentcentral.com.

Meeting Professional (circulation 32,000): Noted as being one of the world’s top diving and snorkeling destinations, a boutique getaway, and the perfect spot for small meetings, Bonaire was highlighted in the March 2005 issue of Meeting Professional magazine in an article about island-style meetings. Harbour Village Beach Club is noted for having the largest meeting space on Bonaire, a 5,000 square foot area with new upgrades planned for the near future, including high speed internet access. This article is available online by visiting www.mpiweb.org/news/tmp/2005/3/caribbean.pdf.

Travel World News (circulation 22,000): As a result of a press release written by Adams Unlimited, the March 2005 issue of Travel World News magazine listed two hotel specials that were submitted to Adams Unlimited upon request. Specials for singles, doubles, and villas were listed for Captain Don’s Habitat. Contact information including phone number, email, and web site were listed. The Plaza Resort Bonaire had several packages listed including their “Toucan Dive for One” package and the 3-D Drive, Dive, Deluxe package. Information on the Aquakids program was also given. Contact information for the resorts was listed including phone number, email, and web site. This article is not available online.

Clarion (PA) News (circulation 4,000): Bonaire was highlighted in an article about web cams in the March 24, 2005 edition of the Clarion Newspaper. The article focused on ways to “escape” the rain and snow in the Northeastern United States and the number one suggestion was to surf the web and various places by web cameras. Readers interested in visiting a tropical location were directed to Bonaire’s beach web cams where they could sport tank tops and shorts and sit on the beach surrounded by palm trees under blue skies and relax. To read this article please visit www2.theclarionnews.com/Opinions/39159.shtml.

Smarter Living (circulation online): Bonaire was featured in an article about spring vacations in the ABC islands on the SmarterLiving web site. Two family packages were listed for the Plaza Resort Bonaire and Sand Dollar Condominium Resort. Package details and contact information are listed for each property. There is also a link to Bonaire’s web site and also a link to more packages being offered by other properties on Bonaire. To read this article please visit www.smartertravel.com/advice/advtips/advice.php?id=7000.

ECUADORIAN TV IN BONAIRE

On April 26th to the 29th, the island hosted the TV crew from Equalise, who will produce a special program about the island, its people, the beauty, the gastronomy, diving, eco-adventure activities, and the different types of accommodations in Bonaire.

Thanks to Plaza Resort and Sunrentals (their host hotels), and also to Viamerica, the biggest tour operator in the market, for coordinating the promotional production with TCB and KLM; it will be shown in America Vive, a specialized tourism program.

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BONAIRE PROMOTED BY VISA CREDIT CARD IN PERU

For Mother’s Day, VISA will launch a special promotion where Bonaire is shown with beautiful and relaxed images in the 210,000 inserts of the credit card holders monthly statement in May.

For this promotion, Bonaire will give two complementary stays courtesy of Bellafonte and Hamlet Hotels and with airline tickets by KLM. During the month of May, the promotion will be also seen on mini banners at participating restaurants, media press, and through their web site www.viabc.com.