STATIA A CHARMING JEWEL

Hello Mr. A-Kum:
I recently visited your Friends of Statia blogspot, and I must say that I was quite impressed. I even visited the Statia Tourism website as well. Your island must be a charming jewel of the sea and I cannot wait to come and visit.

With warmest regards,

Patrice (Cayman Islands) - Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum

STATIA GREAT PLACE TO STUDY!

I came to St. Eustatius to study medicine at the University of St. Eustatius School of Medicine. My experience so far has been utter amazement. The island and its people are beautiful. There are many different things to do here. I know Statia will be a great place to study medicine. Distractions are limited but there are many opportunities for hiking, snorkeling, sight-seeing, visiting historic sites,scuba diving, strolling on the beach,turtle watching, meditating on the beach, and watching great sunsets.

MGK (Romania) - Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum

The annual Statia Race Event was held on Sunday August 26 (Road to Zeelandia). Teams from St. Maarten and St. Eustatius participated in a well-attended event that started in the early afternoon . The race attracted many Statians but also people from neighbouring islands.

Click on the link below for additional exciting photographs taken by Robert Jan Van Oosten of the Netherlands. http://picasaweb.google.com/jerry.akum/StatiaAnnualRace2007

The activities for upgrading the roads in downtown Oranjestad are ongoing. The team is currently working in the vicinity of the Roman Catholic Church. It is the intention to create additional parking space close by and to beautify the entire area. We will keep you updated!

Graduation St. Eustatius Medical School

Twenty-two students of the University of St. Eustatius (School of Medicine), recently completed their Basic Science studies. The award ceremony was held on Thursday August 16 at Fort Oranje.Please visit www.eustatiusmed.edu for more information.

Statia : WARM AND HOSPITABLE

The people in Statia are warm, friendly and very welcoming. Statia is really quiet and peaceful. We would recommend this island to anyone who wants to relax and who is interested in history, hiking and diving.

Gerald (St. Lucia) and Chard (Grenada)

Statia Tourism Trivia

Do you have any idea what this photograph is about? Send your response to info@statiatourism.com

St. Eustatius PRACHTIG EILAND

St. Eustatius is een prachtig en rustig eiland. De mensen zijn ontzettend vriendelijk. Je kunt hier prachtig duiken, snorkelen en wandelen.

Nicole (Utrecht- Nederland) - Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum

International photographer to capture Jewish history in Statia

Story by Roland Lopes. Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum
Oranjestad - Jewish Photographer and Writer, Mr. Jono David has arrived in St. Eustatius on Thursday August 9 for a tour of the island. His first visit to the island is part of his global effort to make a contribution to the preservation of the Jewish communities of the world by documenting them photographically. To date Mr. David has photographed Jewish communities in 60 nations and territories on 6 continents. His proposed order of travel between August 1 and September 4, 2007 will also take him to the Dominican Republic, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Nevis, Barbados, Trinidad, Suriname, Venezuela, Curacao, Aruba and Jamaica.

It is his intention to bequeath his entire Jewish photo library to a reputable Jewish agency or organization that can archive and preserve the images indefinitely. Mr. David says that he would like to create the largest private Jewish photo library of its kind in the world. According to Mr. David, he may have already achieved this, actually. Other Jewish photo libraries may be larger in terms of the number of images in stock, but they do not necessarily contain images from as wide a country/location selection as his. He hopes to include at least one community from as many distinct world locations as possible (i.e. nations/territories). Moreover, most Jewish photo libraries are collections from numerous sources/contributors. His library, however, is a 100% personally created and maintained project. Mr. David insists that he does not include nor accept images that he has not personally taken. He believes this unique aspect distinguishes his Jewish photo library from others. His immediate intention is simply to add the images to his Jewish photo library. New images are being added to the library all the time. Mr. David hopes in the near future to publish a book which not merely features favourite and best images, but which also tells the story of his experience as a photographer specific to the creation and mission of his Jewish photo library. Mr. David leaves for Nevis on Saturday August 11, 2007.

Visit www.jonodavid.com for more information.

TOURIST OFFICE LAUNCHES VILLAGE SIGN PROJECT

Story by Roland Lopes. Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum.
Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Julian Woodley, and his Executive Assistance, Mr Koos Sneek, unveiled a new village sign today at Cherry Tree, one of the many communities on the island of St. Eustatius. This village sign project was launched by the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation (STDF) and is coordinated by Product Development and Research Manager Mr. Jerry A-Kum. This ongoing project is financed by the STDF and the next sign will be posted at the Golden Rock Village. The sign at Cherry Tree has been designed and made by Ms. Ilka Schmidt, a local of St.Eustatius. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation eagerly looks forward in completing the village signs project.

Statia is BEAUTIFUL

St. Eustatius is a beautiful island.I had a lot of fun learning about its history and its people.

Bianca (Virginia-USA)

TOURISM OFFICE PRESENTS NEW BROCHURE AND CD-ROM

By Roland Lopes. Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum
The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation through Public Relations Officer, Mr. Roland Lopes, had the privilege in presenting a new promotional brochure and CD-Rom to the Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Julian Woodley on August 8 at the Government’s Guesthouse. Mr. Woodley has been elected recently as member of the Island Council. His many portfolios include Tourism. He is the first male in many years to hold the portfolio of Tourism.

The six page tourism brochure has for its cover design four snapshots of the island and the words, “Statia, The Caribbean’s Hidden Treasure.” Featured on the inside, is A-Z information of the island. Just to name a few: the location of the island, history, population, language, air connections, diving, festivals, hiking, religious services, and museums.

The Interactive CD-Rom features St.Eustatius in all aspects and is a masterpiece for the promotion of the island. The St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation has received various positive comments from many individuals and organisations in the industry. Brochures and CD-Roms were sent to various tourism partners worldwide and to the Consulate of the Netherlands in Miami, Florida (USA).

Come to Statia!

Came to Statia, staying in Zeelandia in a beautiful house with a view of the ocean. Went to the Secar (archeology) building and the site- beautiful historic downtown. Looking forward to snorkeling.

Miller Family
Forest (Virginia-USA)