Statia 35+ basketball team off to Suriname

A basketball team consisting of 12 players over the age of 35 left Statia on October 13 to travel to Suriname where they will be participating in the 4th annual CuraSur Masters Basketball Tournament.

This is the second time that Statia will be participating. The other visiting countries are Curaçao, British Guyana, French Guyana and Holland.

Statia's team members are Carlos Lopes, Carlos Spanner, Koki Tolentino, Ricardo Duggins, Ernol Spanner, Marlon Hook, Ernan Tatem, Alex Tatem, Gerald Berkel, Gerard Berkel, Sherman Wilmans and Clarence Cornet. Travelling along with the team are members of the Basketball Association and supporters.

Statia Delegation off to Puerto Rico to attend the 18th Annual Cruise Conference and Tradeshow organized by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association

Tourism Week 2011 was the best ever!

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, World Tourism Day was celebrated on September 27 2011. The theme this year is Tourism-Linking Cultures. Every year the St.Eustatius Tourist Office organizes a week of activities to commemorate this special day.

This week of activities started on Monday September 19 and ended on Saturday September 24 2011.
Monday 19: official opening at Fort Oranje with the singing of the anthem, a speech by the Commissioner of Tourism Mr. Clyde van Putten, which was followed by performances by each of the four elementary schools on the island.

Tuesday and Wednesday Schools took turns going on fieldtrips to the Nustar Terminals while others had educational lectures in their classrooms by various cultural groups.

Thursday 22 there was an exhibit at the Community Center on Rosemarylane where various nationalities had stands displaying arts, craft, photos, national dishes etc from their respective countries. Students from all the schools took turns visiting the exhibit.

Friday 23 was the Unity Walk on heels. Persons from the 40+ nationalities residing on Statia were welcome to take part in this walk wearing their country’s t-shirt and flag. Over 400 students lined up along the route of the walk waving self made flags from the various countries. The first male and female to reach the finish line wearing stilletto heels will won a prize. Prizes were sponsored by WINAIR and OLD GIN HOUSE. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation extends its gratitude to the sponsors.

Saturday 24 TW2011 closed off with an elegant Wine&Cheese party at the Mike van Putten Youth Center. Tickets for this event sold for $55.00 each. The keynote speaker was Mr. Leon Stubbs from the Bahamas. Mr. Leon works as a project developer in the field of cultural tourism and he served as director of the African American Heritage Society in Pensacola, Florida where he was and still is active in the development of the Black Heritage Trail in the State of Florida.

On behalf of the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, The Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo and Staff, we say thank you to all the stakeholders involved in the Tourism Sector, all the Schools and the general public for their support.

Tourism Boards from Holland and Bonaire on Statia for meetings

Representatives of the Dutch Bureau of Tourism and Bonaire Director of Tourism arrived on Statia June 22 2011 for a two day visit to discuss Tourism related issues.
While on the island they met with the Commissioner of Tourism Mr. Clyde van Putten, Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo, representative from the Immigration Department Mr. Pierre Pandt, Acting Harbor Master Mr. Austin van Heyningen, Managing Director of St. Eustatius National Parks Ms. Kate Walker and Managers of the various Dive Shops, amongst others.
The purpose of the meetings was to familiarize themselves with the Tourism stakeholders on Statia and to understand what is needed to improve the current situation and formulate new marketing ideas. The first round of meetings were held in the netherlands (Utrecht) in January where the Tourism Directors of Saba and Statia met with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the members of the NBTC (Nederlands Bureau voor Toerisme en Congressen).
Statia’s Tourism Director is very optimistic about the topics discussed in the meetings and look forward to a prosperous working relationship with the Tourism partners on Saba, Bonaire and the Netherlands.

Chef Charles Hall II gives Menu Planning Course on Statia

Mr. Charles Hall II who has been invited to Statia by the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation to give a week long training course on Menu Planning was impressed with the overall experience.
Chef Charles II started cooking from the early age of 12. He graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in Culinary Arts and a degree in Food Service Management. He worked as a Sous Chef at Hilton Resorts, Restaurant Manager at the J.W.Marriott Hotel in Washington D.C. and as the Executive Chef at St.Albans School on the grounds of the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Today Chef Charles owns his own catering business called Shake n Bake in Maryland.
The classes started on Monday June 20 with participants ranging from caterers, cooks, hotel staff and aspiring chefs.
The course dubbed “Menu Planning” was met with subtitels such as: Purchasing, Standards of measurement, Sanitation, Use of equipment and small wares, Cooking techniques and applications etc.
On Friday June 24 2011 the final day of the course, certificates were given to the 24 persons who completed the training. Chef Charles planned a wonderful menu of Coconut peas & Rice, Jerk Grouper in Mango Sauce, Green Salad with a papaya/strawberry vinagrette made from scratch, stuffed cucumber chunks and grilled green beans with red peppers. The class was invited into the kitchen and everyone helped out in preparing the meal before sitting down together to enjoy it.
Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo was present to hand out the certificates and expressed his gratitude to Chef Charles for accepting the invitation to give the training, the Gwendolyn van Putten School for the use of their facilities and to all the persons who faithfully attended the training each day and for their active participation and willingness to improve themselves in the hospitality field. He especially thank Mrs. Maya Leon-Pandt, Product Development & Research Manager and the rest of the Tourism staff for putting together such a successful event and said he looked forward to the next one.

Commissioner of Tourism and Director of Tourism attending Caribbean Week NY

Statia’s Commissioner of Tourism and Director of Tourism are in New York attending “Caribbean Week” hosted by Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

Every year CTO organizes Caribbean Week in New York, it combines business sessions and consumer-oriented events with food, fashion, entertainment and networking opportunities.

Both the Commissioner and the Director are expected to attend an array of meetings pertaining to Tourism in the Caribbean and new ways to attract tourists using social media and other marketing tools.

Caribbean week will come to an end on Saturday June 11 2011 with film screenings and forums that showcase the power and potential of the Caribbean film industry organized by Caribbean Tales in collaboration with the Caribbean Tourism Organization Long Island University.

Statia Hosts Travel & Destination Expo

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, Carib-A-Travel organized a well attended Travel & Destination Expo on Statia June 4-5 2011 at the Lions Den.
Carib-A-Travel a well known travel agency on St.Maarten who specializes in cruises teamed up with Authentic Caribbean Holidays, a tour operator who sells packages to Statia to host the event.
Visitors to the Expo got the much needed information on how to plan your cruise, the different cruise lines available, special cruises for kids and teens, easy payment plans for your cruise etc. There was an agent offering special packages to Surinam while another agent offered packages to exotic places such as Brazil, Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica etc. Packages included airfare, hotel, tours and meals.
Mrs. Alsira Ansano of Carib-A-Travel offered a free cruise for two to one lucky person who was chosen from the large amount of attendees who basically just had to fill in a card with their name and number once they entered the door. The lucky winner turned out to be Wilhelmina Marsdin.

Statia Tourist Office staff travels to SXM to attend SMART Tradeshow

Teena Lopes, Maya Leon-Pandt and Sharmin Turner are the 3 representatives for the Statia Tourist office who will be attending the 10th annual SMART Tradeshow scheduled to start May 25 and end on May 27 2011 at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort and Spa.

The three are prepared and ready to tell all visitors at the tradeshow about the rich history of the island and invite them to come and dive or snorkel in our crystal clear waters or take a stroll through our peaceful town, Oranjestad.

SMART is a conference which provides the venue for International Buyers to network and negotiate future business opporunities with suppliers in the tourism industry. The most improtant Travel Industry Partners and Wholesale Travel Agents have been invited to the conference as well.

Rebels Band off to Atlanta

Rebels Band HD have accepted an invitation extended to them by Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Bandleaders Association to take part in the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival from May 27 - May 31 2011.

No stranger to performing in the US Rebels band is ready to explode on stage in Atlanta. The band recently performed at Miami Carnival in October 2010 where they set the crowd ablaze with their popular hits like "wuk up" and "run behind the truck".

Atlanta, get ready for this high energy performance group!

International Destination Expo held in Puerto Rico

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, International Destination Expo held in San Juan, Puerto Rico by the American Society of Travel Agents was a huge success. Over 700 travel agents from around the world got a chance to visit Statia’s exhibitors booth and learn about Statia’s important role in the US independence.

ASTA known as the world’s largest travel trade association put together an outstanding event from April 14-17. There were great educational seminars and networking oportunities between travel agents and exhibitors. “Here is were I got the opportunity to speak about St.Eustatius as a caribbean destination. Surprisingly most of the travel agents had never heard that Statia was the first foreign nation to officially recognize the newly formed United States of America, so I re-told this story over and over as each agent visited Statia’s booth at the trade show,” said Lavinia Mitchell Public Relations Officer for the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation.

Several travel agents were very interested in the rich history that Statia has to offer and said that they specifically cater to tourists who are not just interested in sun, sea and sand or bustling night life but prefer nature, tranquility and most of all, their safety. These are precisely some of what Statia has to offer.

The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation would like to express their gratitude to Winair and Insel Air for their continued support in assisting the Tourist Office in their mission to promote tourism on Statia.

Peru will be the host of the International Destination Expo for 2012 and based on the success of the show that ASTA organized in Puerto Rico, St.Eustatius is looking forward to being an exhibitor there as well.

“St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation has received these new promotional Number plates. All interested persons can contact the Tourist Office in Fort Oranje at 318 2433." A small fee will be charged.

NEW PROMOTIONAL DVD FOR STATIA IN THE MAKING

Oranjestad, St.Eustatius – Ben Stiefelhagen of “GET WET MARITIEM” and Klaudie Bartelink of “LEARNING BY ACTION”, both of the Netherlands are in charge of shooting a promotional video for the Statia Tourist Office.
The couple arrived on the island on Tuesday April 19 and spent 10 days moving around the island filming hotels, restaurants, historical attractions, churches, STENAPA, the museum, the easter weekend beach activities and much more. They also went on11 different dives to get extensive under water coverage for the videa.
Mr. Stiefelhagen had visited the island about 3 years ago with his fiance Ms. Bartelink and was so impressed with what they saw that they made a 3 minute dive video. The quality of this dive video inspired the Tourist Office to invite the couple back to Statia to shoot this new promotional video which will be used to promote the island abroad during trade shows. It lasts for 7-8 minutes and will be ready in early June 2011.


Before leaving the island the couple donated a complete wet suit (including a BCD jacket and booties) to the Director of the St.Eustatius National Park Foundation Ms. Kate Walker and Marine Park Manager, Jessica Berkel who were more than pleased to receive this generous gift.
WINAIR has always been a willing participant in helping to promote tourism on Statia, said Miss Mitchell, Public Relations Officer for The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation “so we extend our sincere gratitude to WINAIR for providing air transportation to our guests Ben and Klaudie.”

CTO Communication Specialist On Statia For Workshop

Mr. Johnson Johnrose, the Communication Specialist for the Caribbean Tourism Organization gave a two day workshop on Public Relations-Media Skills Coaching and Crisis Communications.
The workshop was held and the Gertrude Judson Library and was well attended by a cross section of the community including the police department, GIS, Red Cross and the Tourist Office staff.

American photographer on Statia for photo shoot

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, Tanya Stiffler arrived on Statia on Friday March 4 2011 on a working visit invitation from the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation to shoot an array of professional photos from all aspects of the island such as nature, diving, people, restaurants, history and hotels just to name a few.

Mrs. Stiffler has been seeing the world through a viewfinder since the age of 7. For 18 years she enjoyed a carreer in sales and marketing for the Tourism industry in Central Florida. Her abilities in photography were always a key asset for the successes she achieved in her career by capturing images for marketing materials, promotional items, commercials and print magazines. She has traveled throughout the United States photographing hotels, resorts, city-wide events, corporate events, weddings, car races, motorcycle races and combines many of those images with her account of the occasion for magazine articles, newsletters and blogs.

The invitation to Mrs. Stiffler was extended by Manager of Product Development Mrs. Maya Leon-Pandt. The photos will be used to update the Statia Tourism website, brochures, magazine articles and for marketing purposes. Mrs. Stiffler went on hikes to the Quill, Gilboa Hill and the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden. She also photographed Statia’s rich historical monuments, restaurants, hotels, beaches and the beautiful landscapes.

“I love this island” Mrs. Stiffler said. “It is peaceful and everyone is so friendly and what a rich history you guys have here” she said. Mrs. Stiffler took hundreds and hundreds of photos during her time on the island. While driving along the road to the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden she was contstantly stopping and getting out of the vehicle taking nature photos and even got a shot of a huge Iguana up in a tree said Mrs. Leon-Pandt.

The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation would like to extend a huge thank you to WINAIR for their sponsorship through out the past years and look forward to their continued support in 2011.

Cruise Ship Grand Mariner visits Statia

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, Cruise ship Grand Mariner made a stop on Statia on its way from Saba to Nevis. It arrived on Statia around 1500 hrs on Thursday February 17 and sailed on FridayFebruary 18 around 2200 hrs.

The ship had 43 passengers and 17crew on board. On Friday morning around 9:00 am the passengers left the ship, 20 went on an island tour while the others went for walks through town and did some shopping. Members of the tourist office were on the pier to welcome them with some cold beverages and sweet island music was delivered by well known local deejay “run things”.

Grand Mariner was commissioned and built by Blount Boats of Warren, Rhode Island in 1998 and was totally refurbished in 2010 with new cabin configurations including new décor, new washrooms, new furniture, a renovated lounge etc. The passenger capacity is 96 divided amongst 48 cabins.

On friday evening there was some local entertainment on board. The aloï dancers (local female dance group) performed 4 dances. During one of these dances passengers and crew members were invited to join in and dance along with the group. This brought on so much laughter that some people had tears in their eyes. The band Joey and friends provided live entertainment singing oldie goldies which had some of the folks dancing while others gathered around and sang along with the band.

The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation was pleased to have the Grand Mariner on Statia and all the passengers who visited the office were quite thrilled with the island saying it was so peaceful and full of history and calling the islanders very friendly. The commissioner of Tourism Mr. Julian Woodley and the acting Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo presented captain Mike with a Flag of Statia while Public Relations Officer Ms. Makeba Mitchell handed out gift bags to him and his crew.

The Statia Tourist office is looking forward to welcoming the Grand Mariner in 2012 again as one of the new potential stops on the new cruising schedule.

Marion Haarsma, dive photographer visits Statia

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, Dive photographer for one of the biggest Dive magazines in Holland “Onderwater Sport Journal” visited Statia to make exclusive new photos for the magazine.

Marion Haarsma a professional dive photographer for the past 31 years was on Statia from January 14 to 25 2011. Her main purpose for visiting Statia was to see what the island has to offer with regards to Dive tourism so she could write an elaborate article for the magazine. While on the island she spent 5 days at the Golden Rock Dive Center and 5 days at Scubaqua Dive Center, where she visited up to 30 dive sites.

“I was surprised at the rich variety of underwater life like: turtles, stingray, conch, barracuda, nurse shark and many other sea creatures (as I am quite a spoiled world traveler),” Marion said. Some of the sites were so amazing she asked to return to the site for a second dive. She also said that she was impressed with the man made objects underwater such as the wrecks, the anker and canons etc. “Both diving schools went out of their way to give me all the opportunity's to make good shots and fulfilled all my wishes she said.

In 2008 Statia was featured in the Onderwater Sport Journal when they ran a two page article on STENAPA (St.Eustatius National Park). Marion was so excited when STENAPA invited her to witness the turtle hatchlings leaving the nest on Zeelandia beach to make their way to sea and gladly accepted. She was able to make some really wonderful photographs of the hatchlings and said it was a truelly unforgetable experience.

Eventhough Marion had dived in various parts of the Caribbean such as Bahamas, Curacao, Bonaire just to name a few, she labelled Statia’s underwater world as “quite unique” as some of what she had seen here, she had never seen anywhere else in the Caribbean before. “All in all Statia was one big surprise to me”, she said. She has already made a beautiful dvd of her dives which was shown at the “Duikvaker “ dive fair in the Netherlands on February 5-6 2011.

The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation is quite pleased to have had such a well known Diver/photographer in Statia’s waters and we look forward to the article in the OnderwaterSport Journal later this year, said Public Relations Officer Ms. Makeba Mitchell.

Statia well represented at the Vakantiebeurs 2011

(photos show Statians living in Holland who visited the Statia Booth)

Oranjestad - St.Eustatius was well represented at the vacation fair “vakantiebeurs” in Utrecht, the Netherlands by acting Director of Tourism Charles Lindo and Public Relations Officer Makeba Mitchell. The “vakantiebeurs” is the biggest vacation fair in the Netherlands and is held once a year in January. The theme for this year’s fair was “Unforgettable Destinations” and St.Eustatius was a perfect fit.

The vacation fair is where one goes to collect all the necessary information to help them choose, plan and in a way “experience their vacation”. One won’t only find information about the destination itself but you can even learn about the culture, the music and the food.

The fair started on Tuesday January 11 for tour operators and travel agencies only; and from January 12-16 it was open to the general public. Visitors came from far and near, with or without their families and made a fun day of the entire affair by visiting the different stands, collecting brochures, asking questions, enjoying the entertainment and sampling the various foods etc.

Statia’s exhibitor booth was located in the Caribbean village close to the entertainment stage and decorated with lots of colorful pull-up banners showing various photos of the island. Promotional material used to hand out to the visitors consisted of book markers, posters, maps, postcards, pens, brochures etc all courtesy of TVC Reclame BV in Holland. Statia was well represented in more ways than one. Thousands and thousands of visitors showed up at the fair every day and it was incredible to see how many people actually stopped at the booth to ask questions such as: “how to get to Statia”, “what is there to do on statia”, “is it safe for children and elderly people to visit”. There were also those who stopped by after viewing a documentary on (dutch) tv about the 3 new municipalities to Holland which peaked their interest into wanting to learn more about the islands.

Figures show that the visitor turn out at the fair was well over 100,000 with the slowest day having more than 14,000 visitors. The Statia booth alone proudly distributed thousands of information packages inlcuding pens, dvd’s, brochures, bookmarkers, postcards etc.

In conclusion the vacation fair was a first time experience for Ms. Mitchell but she says she was impressed with the contacts made, the visitor turnout, the interest shown in Statia as a vacation destination and she’s looking forward to seeing a positive increase in the arrival of Dutch tourists to the island later this year and into next year.

SAGGIE exhibits at Statia Tourist Office

SAGGIE Spanner was born on Aruba on May 11 1953. His parents are the late Alfred and Peter-Ann Spanner.

At the tender age of 18, SAGGIE moved to Holland and remained there for 28 years. In 1996 he moved to Statia to live with his sister Lucia Spanner.

Since 2006 SAGGIE attends the Chapel Piece Health and Recreational Center on a daily basis where he spends most of his time drawing with pencils, crayons, markers or pens.

Most of SAGGIE'S drawings have a history that only SAGGIE can tell. They are about the most diverse topics, such as: a camel, a witch, Pinochio, a boat, a fish etc.

His compositions are easily recognized and are quite unique!

They are all original "SAGGIES".

The exhibition is meant to raise funds for the Chapel Piece Health and Recreational Center and the frames with drawings are sold for $25.00 each.

You can view the drawings from January 10-January 21 2011 at the Statia Tourist Office at Fort Oranje and the Gertrude Judson Library on Fort Oranjestraat

The exhibition is sponsored by SAGGIE Spanner and Olga Schats.

Oranjestad – The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation is in the process of distributing 2011 calendars to the Government officials and various department heads on the island. On Wednesday December 22 the first calendar was handed over to the Commissioner of Tourism Mr. Julian Woodley at his office situated at the Governor’s Guesthouse. The calendar is a small token of appreciation to the Commissioner and the other recepients for the great working relationship shared through out the year 2010.
The calendar features 13 photos taken around the island and shows landscapes, beach, nature, under water scenes, historical buildings and people. The colors are very vibrant and each page is quite apealing to look at as the months of 2011 go by.
To all those who haven’t received a calendar but is interested in having one, they can be bought at the Tourist Office.

The acting Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo and staff would also like to express a very Merry Christmas to one and all and wish each and everyone a prosperous 2011.

TOURISM WEEK 2010 KICKS OFF WITH A BANG!

GVP @ Venus Beach
Bethel M. School @ SECAR

GdGraaf School @ Tourist Office

Keynote Speaker Dr. Colmore Christian

Tourism Staff @ Gala Dinner

SDA School @ Sport complex

G. Rock School @ Sport complex

Oranjestad-St.Eustatius, The 4th annual Tourism week which ends with a Gala dinner kicked off at Fort Oranje. Act. Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo officially opened Tourism week at Fort Oranje on Monday September 20 2010 by welcoming everyone present.

The theme for this year is Biodiversity and Tourism. Simply said: What does the Environment and Tourism have in common? Mr. Lindo further informed everyone that this is the fourth year but number 5 is yet to come and there will be some changes. He said there have already been talks with teachers to see how they can change the program for 2011 and to improve on the “tourism week” product.

The programme continued with the singing of the National anthem by Miss k’lah Courtar, speeches by Commissioner of Tourism Mr. Julian Woodley, Public Relations Officer Miss Makeba Mitchell, Manager of Product Development & Research Mrs. Maya Leon-Pandt and the singing of the theme song “Beautiful Statia ” by the students of all the elementary schools on the island coordinated by Mr. Amajan.

After receiving some refreshments the students all got a chance to tour the newly constructed Sports Auditorium at the Cottage Ball Park.
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday selected students from the four elementary schools on the island went on excursions to the various companies on the island such as N.V. G.E.B.E, EUTEL NV, Nustar Terminal NV, Health Department and Culture Department including a hike to Venus Bay and visits to the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden.

Friday September 24 2010 the elementary schools brought their projects- based on Biodiversity and Tourism-to the Tourist Office where they will remain on display for one week. The general public is invited to stop in and see these projects from Monday to Friday between 8:00 am-12:00 noon or 1:00 pm-5:00 pm and see how creative our students really are.

To finalize Tourism week the Tourist Office held their Annual Gala Dinner and Award Ceremony on Saturday September 25 2010. There were awards for Best Dive Shop, Taxi Driver etc. It is very important for the owners of the different hospitality establishments to reward their employees with the opportunity to attend this wonderful event which is specially held in their honor. We all know that as a hospitality worker one does not get much time to pamper oneself.

"This Award Gala Dinner is held to thank each and every one of you for a job well-done and to say thank you for your hard work and dedication to the continued improvement of our Tourism Product" said Mr. Lindo.

The key note speaker for this evening was Dr. Christian S. Colmore PhD.

Dr. Colmore is the assistant professor of Ecology, Forestry and Wildlife at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, AL. After this everyone enjoyed a delicious meal while being entertained by the sweet sounds of Joey & Friends.

On behalf of the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, the Act. Deputy Director of Tourism Mr. Charles Lindo and Staff, we say thank you to all the stakeholders involved in the Tourism Sector and the general public for their votes and support.

REBELS BAND HD IS ON THEIR WAY TO MIAMI CARNIVAL

Oranjestad, St.Eustatius-Rebels Band HD toured The Netherlands and Belgium from August 3-24. Statians living in Holland were extremely proud to see the band live on stage in Holland and so they came out in large numbers to attend the concerts. (see photo above)

Since their return to the island they received another international invitation; to perform during the week of Miami Carnival from October 6-13 2010.
This invitation came from SM-Large Entertainment in Miami, Florida and Rebels Band HD gladly accepted. The band is now in process of raising the funds needed to make this trip possible.

Also attending this event will be some of the top soca bands, artists and deejays from around the world. This is a prime opportunity for Rebels Band to represent the island’s culture on an international level. (see photo on left)

Concerts of this magnitude generally see a turnout of up to 30,000 people.

“STATIA DREAMS CALENDER 2011” PRESENTED TO LT. GOVERNOR BERKEL

St.Eustatius-The first issue of the “Statia Dreams 2011 Calendar” was presented to Lieutenant Governor Gerald Berkel during a private ceremony at the Youth and Family Center on September 6 2010.

The Statia Dreams Calendar is a project created by Bart and Jacqueline Landheer of Bart Landheer Photography in the Netherlands. Presently they reside on the island of Bonaire where they made their first calendar in 2009. In early 2010 they met Rene Reehuis of Innovation Bureau St. Eustatius who was quite interested in the calendar project and fought diligently to make the “Statia Dreams Calendar” become a reality. The printing of the calendars was possible due to donations received from local businesses but the photography and design of the calendar was done gratis by Mr. Bart Landheer and his wife Jacqueline as a fundraising to aid youth organisations.

The calendar shows photographs of Statia and Saba youths each describing what their future ambitions are and how they intend to accomplish them. The photographs were taken on both Statia and Saba respectively and portray the youths dressed in the attire of their future occupations.

Present at the ceremony were the Lt. Governor Mr. Gerald Berkel, Mr. and Mrs. Bart Landheer, all the models of the calendars together with their parents, members of the press, staff of the youth and family center, Mr. Rene Reehuis of the innovation bureau and PR Officer of the Tourist Office.

The Calendars will arrive on Statia at the beginning of October 2010 and will be on sale for $10.00. We encourage every household on Statia to purchase at least one calendar as it’s a real treasure to have. The proceeds from the sale of the calendars will be donated to “Child Focus” on Saba and “Statia in Shape” on St.Eustatius.

Assistant Editor for Destination Magazine visits Statia

St.Eustatius-Mr. Nick Marshall, assistant editor for Destination Magazine visited our historical island from August 12th to 14th.

Destination Magazine is gathering information for an article on Statia which will be published in the 2011 issue. Mr. Marshall who resides on St.Maarten had visited the island at least once before. He was accompanied by his wife and both were flabbergasted by the rich history of Statia as they went on the historical walking tour where one could see the historical buildings throughout Oranjestad and relive the scenes of each building as our tour guide Mrs. Gay Soetekouw told the most interesting stories.

They were also very impressed with the quiet way of life and the friendliness of the natives as people would greet them as they pass on the streets.
Mr. Marshall enjoyed his stay at the Old Gin House and loved the food at Franky’s Bar and Restaurant where he had Creole Conch which he said was done exactly the way he likes it. At Smoke Alley Bar and Restaurant he had Portuguese Fish for the first time and said it was absolutely wonderful.

This is not the first time Statia has been featured in Destination Magazine and based on what we have seen in the past the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation look forward to seeing a spectacular spread in the 2011 issue as well.

Public Relations Officer Ms. Mitchell accompanied Mr. & Mrs. Marshall to the different outings during their visit to Statia and said the service and food received at the restaurants and car rental company I.F. Rivers was truly exceptional. She would also like to thank Mr. Marshall and Destination Magazine for their effort in spreading the good news of Statia to the outside world.

It is a true saying: “St.Eustatius! Small Island, Big Thrills.”

Mask Decorating Competition organized by PR Officer of Statia Tourist Office a Success!

The new Public Relations Officer of the St.Eustatius Tourist Office, Makeba Mitchell organized a Mask Decorating Competition on July 30. Children between the ages of 4-11 years of age could register, collect a blank face mask and take it home with them to decorate any which way they liked. This was a great way for the children to use their imaginations and create something really nice to show off. As you can see on the photos all kinds of raw food stuff were used like rice, macaroni, spaghetti, popcorn, peas, corn but some used feathers, beads, shells, paper, small toys etc.

The competition was held on July 30 2010 on the terrace at Super Burgers. Over 70 children registered so it was quite busy but Zahira Patrick did a great job keeping the children under control. Everyone received something to eat and drink and each child got to take home a gift bag containing juices, chips, sweets and raisins.
The judges consisted of Wendy Collins, Dennis Amajan and Janine Rosema and are all well known artists on the island. They had a tough time judging the masks but all agreed that there were some really nice creations and that we should hold another competition again soon.On the photos you will see an array of the winning masks.

A special thank you goes out to the members of the community who made contributions/donations towards the prizes for the winners. The prizes varied from fully packed school bags to gift certificates from different businesses, “I love Statia” School agenda’s and Youth Savings accounts from the WIB Ltd.