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 as well
as 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 e-mail
to: info@tourismbonaire.com.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
TCB
BONAIRE
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LOCAL
REPORT
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From
the Director's Desk
It
is a pleasure to have the
opportunity to wish the Entre
Nous readership a very Happy
New Year. All of us are looking
forward to working together
to make Bonaire the most
desired destination in the
Caribbean!
 December 2005 was an especially
important month for Bonaire.
One of the most important
accomplishments for Bonaire
and TCB this past year was
the non-stop Continental
flight from Houston, which
debuted on December 16th
2005. The Lt. Governor, the
Commissioner of Tourism,
Candice Kimmel from TCB NY,
and I greeted all
passengers boarding the first
non-stop flight to Bonaire
served by a US flag carrier.
The flight was full and even
arrived on Bonaire early.
I am also very encouraged
to see that the subsequent
flights are booking very
well and it looks like it
will continue to be the same
passenger load for the future!
TCB will continue to strive
to improve airlift to Bonaire,
by working together with
our current partners and
see how we can increase frequency
of flights, aircraft size,
and add other gateways.
In December, TCB also managed
to obtain funding for a huge
project for the island, the
Tourism Awareness Program
(TAP). It has been part of
our mission to always include
the population in what we
are doing and to bring the
message of how important
tourism is to the island
and to them personally. After
all, people are a key pillar
of this industry and the
decision of visitors to return
is highly dependent on their
experience with the people
on our island. Over the past
years the “Hello Tourist” program
worked with the youth, especially
in the schools, exposing
them to various sectors of
the HORECA industry. To further
our goal of raising tourism
awareness, USONA, a Dutch
foundation dedicated to managing
and allocating Dutch development
funds in the Antilles, has
pledged more than one million
guilders for implementation
of the TAP in Bonaire, a
3-year program aimed at
motivating and educating
the local population, while
also making the tourist more
aware of our island and its
people and culture/history,
especially through trainings,
events, and seminars. TCB
will be able to bring tourism
closer to the local population.
The program will touch
each citizen on-island and
has, as its long-term goals,
among others, to educate
the local population about
tourism and its importance
to the island, to improve
service levels in the industry,
to stimulate and motivate
people to work in the tourism
industry, and to educate
our tourists about our people
and culture/history. The
placement of signs describing
cultural/historical sites
will be among projects that
TCB will tackle in 2006 to
increase awareness among
our visitors. The main focus
of the TAP is on the human
aspect of the product Bonaire,
but physical aspects of the
product will also be improved
as well.
Besides focusing on the
product Bonaire, a key focus
of TCB is on the marketing
/ promotion side of the island.
In December, TCB also received
funding for the formulation
of two big marketing-oriented
projects for Bonaire. The
projects are in formulation
and are planned to be implemented
this year. New branding along
with added focus on modern
tools to promote Bonaire
are two of the various improvements
to take place through these
projects this year.
Also, 2006 will see the
return of the Bonaire Dive
Festival but with a new name, “Dive
Into Adventure Bonaire”,
and a new format. It will
take place from June 17th
to June 24th 2006. More information
will unfold during the month
of January 2006. Main innovations
present this year are the
event being opened up to
the European market and the
focus of the event including
adventure activities on land,
in addition to the traditional
underwater activities.
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BonaireVisits
Grows to Winterhit!
 BonaireVisits, that’s how we named
the trips three Dutch celebrities made
to Bonaire invited by their host and fellow-celebrity
Dirk Zeelenberg. From December 7th and
every two weeks thereafter, a brand new
series of videos was put on the internet.
After the first three items of Golden Earring-member
Barry Hay, it was Johnny de Mol to share
his Bonaire Visit with the rest of the
world. Visitors of the website www.bonairevisits.tv can
see for themselves how wonderful a holiday
to Bonaire can be. This video-Web site
not only features movies, it also opens
up parts of infobonaire.com where information
of the private sector can be found.
Back to the top
Bonaire
Visits Puts Bonaire in the Spotlights!
TCB Europe has managed
to attract a lot of free publicity by
filming famous Dutch stars during their
trips to Bonaire. After the exclusive
TV-broadcast at SBS-shownieuws, the broad
Dutch press picked the news up. From
Web sites to magazines, we could find
information on Bonaire everywhere. And
it still isn't over yet, since,
every two weeks, a new series of movies
is posted on the Internet. Next year
you can watch movie director Eddy Terstall
while he snorkels in Bonaire’s
caves and learns to surf at Sorobon
Beach. This will, no doubt, add new
press clippings to the many
we’ve
scored so far. (View pdf.)
Back to the top
First
Viral Campaign Huge Success
 As you know, TCB Europe
simultaneously launched two viral campaigns
in Europe. A viral internet campaign
is a campaign where consumers are asked
to "spread
the word" via Internet. By entering
a competition, they know they have more
chances to win as they attract their
friends to the Web site. And more importantly,
everybody has to leave their e-mail address
behind allowing TCB Europe to approach
them via e-mail marketing. There was
a Dutch and a non-Dutch campaign. The
Dutch one stopped Dec 1st, while the
other is still ongoing. TCB Europe can
report the results on the Dutch campaign:
wonderful. The game was played over 25,000
times! Finally we could award the number
one prize in Almery near Amsterdam! And
we have a wonderful starting base for
our e-mail marketing in 2006.
Santa
Knows There’s More
 Wishing everybody throughout
Europe and of course on Bonaire the very
best, TCB Europe managed to tell, at
the same time, that Bonaire is really
developing into a multi-activity destination
featuring windsurfing and kite boarding,
in addition to diving and snorkeling.
It’s
almost to be seen as a summary of the
evolving marketing campaigns where we
always pay attention to diving (given
our unique selling points), but grow
towards awareness at trade and consumers
on the other strong items to promote.
Back to the top
Webvertising
Secondary Markets Started
Thanks to the Usona-funding,
Bonaire is really present at our so-called
secondary (or upcoming) European markets.
Not only are the dive magazines publishing
Bonaire ads, but there is a huge Internet
campaign to attract visitors to our
Web sites. Not only via dive Web sites,
but also via search engines like Google.
Hereby we ensure traffic to our online
presentation, attention for our island,
and, of course, traffic to our tour
operators where one can book a full
package to Bonaire. Sweden, Germany,
UK: Bonaire is promoted everywhere
to targeted and well selected audiences.
(View pdf.)
Back to the top
New
Niche Videos Launched
One of the great things
about internet is you can really
target your markets and make sure
you give everybody the right information.
No more waste, no more mass marketing.
Following our strategy, we pay by
far the most attention to diving.
Followed by windsurfing, kite boarding
and, in the Netherlands, leisure.
And the Internet allows us to even
pay attention to small niches. Since
last month, one also can watch
a video item on the mangroves. And,
a couple of top athletes discovered
Bonaire’s
MTB-tracks! (View pdf.)
Back to the top
Bonaire
in CTO Radio Commercial
In addition to the
pan-European viral campaign and the
pan-European Usona campaign involving
both offline and online publications,
TCB Europe is still working hard
to cover and serve its premier market,
The Netherlands. Bonaire was one
of the participants in the CTO radio-campaign
and tour operator ABC Travel joined
in. CTO Holland used the campaign
to endorse their website www.zoneiland.nl with of course links to infobonaire.com.
Back to the top
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New
York Office Participates in Continental
Airlines Inaugural Flight
 Candice Kimmel from
TCB-NYC joined Bonaire’s
Lt. Governor Herbert Domacasse, Commissioner
of Economics and Tourism Burney el Hage,
and TCB General Manager Ronella Croes,
as part of the official Bonaire delegation
that flew in on the Inaugural Continental
Airlines flight that arrived in Bonaire
on December 17, 2005. Festivities started
at the boarding gate in Houston, with the
presentation and cutting of a huge cake
celebrating the occasion. All passengers
on the full flight shared in the cake (and
shared their favorite stories of Bonaire)
prior to boarding. Upon landing, the festivities
continued with a ribbon cutting and airport
celebration where, again, the arriving
passengers were offered the chance to celebrate
alongside the many Bonaireans who came
out for the occasion.
Bonaire
Voted Top Diving Destination in the Caribbean/Atlantic
for Fourth Year in a Row
 The votes are in for the Scuba
Diving magazine’s
2006 Readers’ Choice Awards and Bonaire
has once again proven that it is one of
the world’s top dive destinations!
In the 2006 Readers’ Choice Awards,
Bonaire received the #1 rating in four
Caribbean/Atlantic categories including,
for the fourth year in a row, Top Caribbean
Dive Destination (96.3%). Bonaire was also
rated #1 for Underwater Photography (97.4%),
Beginner Diving (95.7%) and Shore Diving
(95.4%). Bonaire took second place in the
categories of Marine Life (94.7%), Healthiest
Marine Environment (94.7%), Visibility
(92.3%) and Top Small Animals (89%), and
placed in the top five in the Top Value
(90.5%) and Top Snorkeling (85.1%) categories.
For the Reader’s Choice awards, thousands
of Scuba Diving subscribers and web users
rated their dive experiences on a scale
of one to five. Final scores represent
the percentage of fours and five awarded.
Results of the 2006 Awards are featured
in the January/February 2006 issue of Scuba
Diving magazine.
Back to the top
The
Opportunity for Official Tour Operator
Status for Dive Into Adventure Bonaire
2006 is Offered
With the announcement made
that Dive Into Adventure Bonaire 2006 will
take place June 17 – 24, 2006,
the event is now open for tour operators
to sign up as official tour operators.
Building on the past successes of the
Bonaire Dive Festivals, Dive Into Adventure
Bonaire will keep the focus on scuba
diving and marine conservation but
will be enhanced with both water- and
land-based adventure activities. By
now all tour operators should have
received an email with details on the
event and how to become an Official
Tour Operator for Dive Into Adventure
Bonaire.
Non-Divers
Interested in Visiting Bonaire are Profiled
in Caribbean Travel & Life Survey
A record number of readers
(16,030) entered the six-month sweepstakes
held on the Caribbean Travel & Life
Web site to win a trip for two to Bonaire.
When registering for the wweepstakes,
readers were also asked to fill in a
short survey. Eighty-five percent (85%)
of the respondents were non-divers, the
median age was 45-54, seventy-five percent
(75%) took a summer vacation, with 55%
of those traveling with their spouse
or significant other and 33% traveling
with children. The most popular month
for summer vacation was August, chosen
by over 40% of the respondents; July
was a close second at 37%, with June
coming in last at 23%. Over half of the
respondents (56%) indicated they would
be more likely to visit a destination
when a themed event or festival was taking
place, with Music Festival at 29%, Food/Culinary
Festival at 19% and A Family Activity
Festival at 18% as the top three vote
getters. If you are interested in obtaining
a copy of the survey results, you can
email the New York office at Marie@adams-pr.com.
Back to the top
 Bonaire
EZ News
In December, two
issues of Bonaire EZ News were distributed
to our database of more than 35,000 consumers
and travel agents. The December 12th
issue focused on the Dive Into
Adventure Bonaire event and the
new streaming dive video, while the December
22nd issue was a holiday greeting, sent
on behalf of the people of Bonaire.
Press
Visits
Began
working with writer Debbie Snow from Caribbean
Travel & Life
magazine on a press visit to Bonaire
in early January 2006. Mrs. Snow will
be gathering information for a number
of articles on Bonaire to run in the
magazine during next year.
Began
working with writer Barb Roy on a press
visit to Bonaire in late January/early
February 2005. Mrs. Roy will be visiting
Bonaire to gather information for a number
of articles including ones in Sport Diver,
Northwest Dive News, Northeast Dive News
and Wave Length Magazine (a kayaking magazine).
Press
Releases
 In December one press release
was written. The release focused
on the many awards Bonaire received
in the Scuba Diving 2006 Readers’ Choice
Awards. This release while written
in December will not be released
to the media and on Dive Newswire
until after the holidays in early
January 2006. Additionally in December
the release announcing Dive Into adventure
Bonaire 2006 was updated with information
on the soon-to-be-launched Web site
for the event, and the two tour operators
that to date have agreed to participate
in the event. This updated version
was posted on www.InfoBonaire.com (the original version was distributed
in late November to the media).
Editorial
Highlights
Scuba
Diving Magazine (circulation 185,000): The
Dive Deals section of the September 2005
issue of Scuba Diving Magazine featured
a package from Sand Dollar Condominiums.
The package is in celebration of Continental’s
new non-stop flight from Houston to Bonaire
and offers seven nights’ accommodations,
six boat dives, unlimited shore diving,
daily breakfast and rental truck for $695
per person based on six people in a three
bedroom condo. Sand Dollar’s contact
information is listed.
In a sidebar to the Dive
Deals section, Scuba Diving Magazine listed
the Bonaire Fall Adventure promotion which
offers free dive skins to the first 100
people who book a vacation with any of
the participating hotels including Captain
Don’s Habitat,
Harbour Village Beach Club, Bruce Bowker’s
Carib Inn, Deep Blue View Resort, Hamlet
Bonaire, Windsock Apartments and Divi Flamingo.
Contact information for the participating
hotels and Continental Airlines are listed.
Bonaire’s toll free number and Web
site are listed.
Scuba Diving Magazine
(circulation 185,000): In the September 2005 issue of Scuba Diving
Magazine, Bonaire was rated as the seventh
best value dive destination by Scuba Diving
Magazine readers. Caribbean vacationers
on a budget can enjoy unlimited shore diving
in Bonaire for six days for under $100.
Those with a little extra money can take
a one tank boat dive for about $35. Results
were based on a response of more than 4,500
surveys submitted to Scuba Diving Magazine.
Scuba Diving Magazine
(circulation 185,000): In the Dive Deals section of the October
2005 issue of Scuba Diving Magazine,
two great deals from Bonaire are listed.
Buddy Dive Resort is offering their
Drive & Dive package with an additional
$75 food credit and free anniversary
t-shirt for guests staying at the resort
through December 15, 2005. Golden Reef
Inn is offering an all-inclusive package
with airfare from Newark, six boat
dives with tanks and weights, breakfast,
Monday night dinner buffet with live
entertainment and truck rental with
taxes and insurance included.
In a sidebar to the Dive Deals section,
Air Jamaica’s reinstated flight
to Bonaire was listed with flight times
to and from the island and contact information
was also listed.
Caribbean Travel & Life
(circulation 130,000): The results of the annual Caribbean Travel & Life
photo contest were announced in the October
2005 issue. A photo of a spotted eagle
ray taken in Bonaire by Debbie Rice of
Hendersonville, Tennessee won third place
in the nature category. The color photo
is printed in the magazine along with
the other top winners of the photo contest.
Wind Surfing Magazine
(circulation 70,098): Bonaire was featured in the October 2005
issue of Wind Surfing Magazine. Eric
Sanford stated that everyone knows
about Lac for great windsurfing, but
he wanted to know where he could go
for a ride on some rough waves, and
that’s when he discovered Cai.
A full-page color photo of Tati Frans
accompanies the article.
Dive Training
(circulation 65,000): The Dive, Drive & Stay package offered
by Belmar Apartments was listed in the
deals section of Dive Training Magazine
in the October 2005 issue. The package
includes seven nights accommodations,
unlimited shore diving with air fills
and weights, taxes and service charges
on room and diving and truck rental with
insurance and taxes. Contact information
for Belmar Apartments is listed.
Travel Weekly
(circulation 44,425): Bonaire’s increase in flight service
by BonairExpress was listed in the September
12, 2005 issue of Travel Weekly. The
carrier now offers 11 flights per day
to Curacao, eight to Aruba and five to
St. Maarten.
The Knot Magazine
(circulation unknown): Bonaire
is featured in an article about weddings
and marriage requirements in the Caribbean
in the October 2005 issue of The Knot
Magazine. Bonaire is noted in the article
for its pristine environment and world-class
diving with visibility of about a third
of the length of a football field and
over 80 marked dive sites. Contact
information for the CTO is listed,
where readers can find
an entire section devoted to information
about Bonaire.
Back to the top
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 Bonaire
Holiday Greetings
Holiday greetings
were extended this year in Spanish and Portuguese
to our entire database. The e-mail was also
sent to other tourist offices, airline partners,
the private sector on island and our
Bonaire friends in the different markets
in South America.
Back to the top
Dutch Antilles
Express in Venezuela
December 9th was the inaugural
Dutch Antilles Express flight on the route
Bonaire Curacao Valencia and return. After
the protocol event at the Valencia airport
and the press conference, the airline officially
started its regular flights 4 times a week
with a promotional round trip rate US$ 99.00
plus taxes for Curacao and also Bonaire, which
can be purchased in both islands.
Although it is a flight
that does not originate in Caracas,
we are certain about the success of the operation
with Valencia, an industrial city near
Caracas, which has more than 60 travel
agencies located in Maracay, Valencia and surrounding
areas. Also the Valencia airport has flights
coming from Barquisimeto, Mérida, Maracaibo,
San Antonio, Cumaná, and Margarita
Island.
TCB has been in contact with
Dutch Antilles Express representatives, advising
them to consider operating from Caracas and
also Maracaibo soon. The Simon Bolivar International
Airport in Maiquetìa is a natural
HUB and a main gateway for all the arrivals and
departures to and from South America.
A
very aggressive advertising campaign
in the local main press in Valencia
has commenced by DAE to make
the airline well known and to promote visits
to the main travel agencies in the region.
The campaign was initiated by Steve
Sloop from the airline, along with
its General Sales Representative, Mr. Francisco
Mohamed, and Yasmín Pèrez
from TCB.
Mr. Bernard and Francisco Mohamed,
professional aviation people in Venezuela,
have offices in Valencia and Caracas.
This
is good news for airlift and a big step for
Bonaire, so let's work hard focusing now
also in Valencia and surrounding regions.
The
schedules for these flights are as follows:
Tuesday |
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VLN CUR 10:30/11:20 9H 2962
CUR BON 12:00/12:30 9H 2962 |
Wednesday/Friday |
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VLN CUR 10:30/11:20 9H 2962
CUR BON 13:00/13:30 9H 2991 |
Sunday |
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VLN CUR 18:30/19:20 9H 2962
CUR BON 20:00/20:30 9H 2963 |
Tuesday, Wednesday,
Friday |
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BON CUR 08:00/08:30 9H 2952
CUR VLN 09:00/09:45 9H 2961 |
Sunday |
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BON CUR 14:00/14:30 9H 2994
CUR VLN 17:00/17:30 9H 2958 |
Back to the top
Travel
Agent Mailing
To introduce the new flights
from Dutch Antilles Express to Bonaire via
Curacao, TCB sent a special mailing to all
the tourism and diving industry, not only in
Venezuela, but also to the other markets in
the region connecting to Bonaire via Aruba
or Curacao.
Latin
American Divers in Bonaire
The first group of divers from the tour operator
Tripping from Brazil visted Bonaire from
Nov 9th to 12th. The 16 divers were led by
Paulo de Tharso from Tripping, who was visiting
the island for the first time arriving a few
days before the group. Tripping is the official
diving tour operator for www.varigholidays.com.
TCB has being working closely together with this
dive operator. In 2006, Tripping will launch
the promotion of the island of Bonaire
in Brazil.
A new group of divers from Divers Home, Venezuela
visited Bonaire from November 24th to
28th. The group had an incredible trip on-island,
and, upon their return, commented
via messenger that everything was perfect: the
hotel, the diving and also the airlift. Host
hotel was Buddy Dive.
Bonaire
Press Releases
Por
lo alto Aserca
airline magazine: In
its edition
covering November
to February,
Bonaire is
promoted with
two full color
pages and beautiful
images, giving
a brief description
of the different
activities
on island,
gastronomy,
accommodation
etc, etc. In
addition, the
readers are
invited to
contact their
local travel
agencies and
Bonaire Web
site for more
information.
Aserca flies
all over Venezuela
and the Caribbean.
El
Universal
newspaper: In
its Sunday
tourism section
on November
13th, El Universal
featured an
extensive article
about the Caribbean
islands visited
on Christmas
holidays, where
Bonaire was
named among
Aruba, Curacao
and Punta Cana.
In general,
the article,
written by
Marilin Pino,
mentions the
different programs
offered in
this special
season for
all visitors,
where they
can get the
best suntan,
while enjoying
all the different
activities
and forgetting
the terrible
stress from
the city.
Consenso
Médico
magazine: In
its first edition,
a new mini
magazine in
Valencia
featured an
extensive article
about Bonaire
titled Un Paraiso
para descubrir.
It gives an
overview of
the diversity
of activities
and the beauty,
nature, and
peace found
on island.
La
Calle newspaper: The
October 23rd
Sunday travel
section of
this newspaper,
included
the journalist
Joel Moreno’s
article “Bonaire
Un paraíso
para soñarlo.”
The article
gives an
overview
of the island:
its location,
pristine
water, and
options;
in accommodation
it mentions
Sorobon Beach,
the climate,
its people
as well as
the flights
toBonaire,
its gastronomy,
and the activities
awaiting
visitors
above and
below the
water.
Back to the top
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NEWS
FROM THE TOURISM SECTOR
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Catherine
Salisbury Returns to Cinnamon
Art Gallery with a New
Exhibit
Following
on the heels of a successful
exhibit in February 2005,
Catherine Salisbury will
return to the Cinnamon Art
Gallery premiering 26 new
images as the Gallery’s
special guest starting
on Saturday, January 7th,
2006. The exhibit premiere,
which is open to the public,
will take place from 7pm
to 9pm on the 7th and refreshments
will be served. This exhibition
will continue through February
9, 2006.
Regarding her latest works,
Catherine explained that
most of the photos taken
for the exhibit were done
on the east coast of Bonaire,
where the animal life is
very rich. “I spent
many hours under the water
with the eagle rays of Cai.
On one photo shoot I got
21 eagle rays in one image.
I think that I got to know
a little more about what
makes them tick. They are
very curious animals. When
turtles pass by, they come
and take a look. When a manta
ray passes by, they all come.
When humans are diving on
the reef, they also swing
by for a look. Sometimes
I would go alone and find
a little place on the reef
to hide and really hold my
breath. And like clockwork,
after 15 minutes of quiet
time, they would come. They
seem to sense your heartbeat
and all they want is to get
a visual contact.”
 Catherine prefers to work
in a panoramic format when
possible, as it mirrors the
field of vision that one
experiences underwater. But
more importantly, this special
format allows a still image
to capture a movement through
time. The image is more than
a split second. Each panoramic
image is the story of her
encounter with these underwater
creatures and reflects the
magical moments she has shared
with them.
In the coming year, Catherine
and her partner, Dominique
Serafini, will be doing a
26-episode television series
Global TV in Canada called
DreamWrecks. She tells us, “As
hosts of the show, we'll
be taking our viewers around
the Caribbean and the Red
Sea to the most spectacular
shipwrecks. I'll be taking
photos and Dominique will
be creating a series of paintings...
and for sure we'll be getting
into a whole pile of trouble!” Filming
begins in February and the
series starts airing in Canada
in September, 2006.
 Catherine was born in 1963
in Montreal, Canada. Her
love for animals began very
early. “By the age
of nine, I had already convinced
my father to buy me a horse
and I had brought numerous
cats, dogs, rabbits, turtles,
birds and fish into our family.” She
graduated from Concordia
University with a Bachelor's
of Fine Art, specializing
in film and photography.
Over the last twenty years,
she has begun and run newspapers
and magazines, including
the alternative newsweeklies
The Montreal Mirror, Ici
Montréal and The Coast
in Halifax, as well as the
monthly magazine, CoastLife. “In
1999, when I gave up my day-to-day
job as publisher, I decided
to come to Bonaire. Since
then, I have turned my publishing
and photography skills exclusively
towards the sea.” In
2002, Catherine co-authored
DreamWrecks—The Best
Shipwrecks of Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao,
with Dominique Serafini,
a book of shipwreck stories
from the region.
Cinnamon Art Gallery is
managed by Bonaire Artists’ Foundation,
a non-profit organization
dedicated to promoting the
work of local artists in
a permanent gallery setting.
The Gallery does not accept
any payment for the work
of its featured artists --
when guests purchase Gallery
art, 100% of the monies received
flow back directly to the
artist. Private donations
provide all of the funding
for exhibits and the on-going
cost of maintaining the Gallery.
The Cinnamon
Art Gallery is located at
Kaya A.P.L. Brion #1 in downtown
Kralendijk, just off of Kaya
Grandi. For more information,
contact the Gallery at 717-7103
or info@CinnamonArtGallery.org,
or visit their Web site at
www.cinnamonartgallery.org.
Golden
Reef Inn Offers New Upgrades
and Children Stay Free
Book
a 7 night/8 day Stay, Dive
and Drive Package for a minimum
of 2 persons and recieve an
upgrade to a 1 bedroom condo
apartment!
*Based on availability only.
Special good for 15 Jan -
30 Apr 2006.
Children
11 and under stay free
when accompanied by paying
adults in the same accommodations.
Children 12 and over who are
NOT divers can also stay for
the price of taxes only!
*Based on availability only.
Special good for 15 Jan -
30 Apr 2006.
Perfect
Holiday Solutions Offers
Pre-Constuction Prices
on New Resort, Opening
Second Half 2006
The
new Seaside Resort has
a planned opening in the
second half of 2006, and
now Perfect Holiday Solutions
offers pre-construction
prices through January
31, 2006.
 For
more information, contact Perfect
Holiday Solutions via email
info@perfectholidaysolutions.com,
or visit their Web site at
www.perfectholidaysolutions.com.
If on island, you'll be welcomed
at their office at
Kaya Grandi 52 (across from
Maduro and Rento Fun Drive),
or call phone: +599-717-6030.
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The
2006 Dutch Caribbean
Art Diary is Now Available
at Cinnamon Art Gallery
The artists of the Netherlands
Antilles and Aruba have
once again joined together
to produce the Dutch Caribbean
Art Diary 2006, the fifth
edition of the diary. Beautifully
bound in a rich velour
hard cover, the new diary
will help organize your
new year while presenting
you with whimsical Caribbean
Art within its pages.
The diary opens with a
moving introduction about
the Dutch Caribbean’s
artists, written by Governor
General, Mr. F.M.d.l.s.
Goedgedrag, previously
Lt. Governor of Bonaire.
A yearly overview and
monthly overviews are
presented at the beginning
of the book, and then
for more detail, one
can refer to the week-at-a-glance
format, which follows.
Towards the rear of the
diary, short biographies
of the individual artists,
along with Web links
where available, are
provided.
 The artists’ collective
works represent art from
all five Antillean islands
and Aruba, as well as that
of some who are now living
outside of the Dutch Caribbean.
Bonaire is richly represented
with six individual artists
whose work is published
within the diary—Linda
Richter, Jake Richter,
Avy Benhamron, Jackie Bernabela
(with poetry and a photo),
Nochi Coffee, and Ronald
Verhoeven.
The diary is available
for sale at the Cinnamon
Art Gallery for $25.00
and makes a wonderful gift
for anyone. Proceeds from
the sale of the diaries
benefit the associations
which promote art in the
Dutch Caribbean.
The Cinnamon Art Gallery
is located at Kaya A.P.L.
Brion #1 in downtown Kralendijk,
just off of Kaya Grandi.
For more information, contact
the Gallery at 717-7103
or info@CinnamonArtGallery.org.
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The
Riding Academy at
Kunuku Warahama Announces
Their New Web Site
 The Riding
Academy at
Kunuku Warahama announces
the premiere of their
new Web site.
As one of the activities
which you can enjoy on
your vacation to Bonaire,
visit with the various
horses that you can ride
when on Bonaire.
For more
information, visit www.horsebackridingbonaire.com,
or email: marionbonaire@bonairelive.com.
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|
| Note: Karnival
Events are listed in red. |
Carnival
Adult Parade Dates:
2006 - 2011 |
January
2006
Jan 1 - New Year's Day
Jan 7 - Opening
Carnival Period
Jan 7 - Guest Artist Opening at Cinnamon Art Gallery; new panoramic images from the sea by
Catherine Salisbury. Exhibit runs through February 9, 2005.
Jan 14 - Underwater Cleanup sponsored by Yellow Submarine and NetTech,
meet at 1:00 PM at Yellow Submarine
TBA - Photo Sailing CompetitionUnderwater
|
2006
- Feb 26
2007 - Feb 18
2008 - Feb 3
2009 - Feb 22
2010 - Feb 14
2011 - Mar 6 |
February
2006
Feb 4 -
Carnival--Tumba Festival
Feb 11 - Guest Artist Opening
at Cinnamon
Art Gallery; brightly colored
fabric paintings and found wood-art
by Brigitte Kley. Exhibit runs through
March 23, 2005.
Feb 17 - Carnival--Youth Parade Rincon
Feb 18 - Carnival--Youth Parade Playa (Kralendijk)
Feb 25 - Carnival--Adult Parade Rincon
Feb 26 - Carnival--Adult Parade Playa (Kralendijk)
Feb 27 - Carnival--Farewell Youth Parade
Feb 28 - Carnival--Farewell Adult Parade
TBA - 5km Run, 8:00 am, Sponsor: PA & Associates
March 2006
Mar 1 - Ash Wednesday
Mar 1 - Little and Senior League Season Starts
Mar 1 - International Fishing Tournament
TBA - 5km Fun Run, 8:00 am
Every Tuesday Night @ 6:30pm -
BonaireTalker Dinner/Gathering
at Gibi's,
known for great local food. Call
Gibi at 567-0655 for details, or
visit
www.BonaireTalk.com,
and search for "Gibi."
Click here for a detailed CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
Back to the top
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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: info@tourismbonaire.com
Web site address: www.InfoBonaire.com
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