STATIA ATTENDS DUTCH HOLIDAY SHOW VAKANTIE BEURS
Oranjestad- The St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation will represent Statia’s tourism and hospitality sector at Holland’s premier trade and consumer holiday show Vakantie Beurs in Utrecht, Holland January 8th to 13th 2008. Public Relations Officer, Mr Roland Lopes departed the island on January 07th and will be assisted by staff members of the Statia Tourism Representation Office in the Netherlands. A series of press meetings are planned with prominent Dutch media.
Vakantie Beurs is the Netherlands largest promotional trade and consumer exhibition. The organizers are expecting approximately 600.000 visitors to attend this year. This marks the third year St.Eustatius will exhibit under the umbrella of the Little Caribbean Alliance (LCA) partners. The alliance is comprised of St. Maarten, St. Martin, Saba, St.Eustatius, St. Barths, and Anguilla. This joint approach has been well received by Dutch trade and consumers attending the Vakantie Beurs these past years.
The island has been and continues to be promoted as a prime dive destination in the Dutch Market. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation and local tourism private sector partners continue to host tour operators, travel writers, and journalists from the Netherlands on a regular basis. This approach has undoubtedly yielded notable results in the Dutch Market. The interest among Dutch travellers for a vacation in St. Eustatius continues to grow steadily. Holland remains Statia’s leading tourist market followed closely by North America.
St. Eustatius has become better known among Dutch trade and consumer partners as more specialist tour operators in clued the island in their programmes. These include ABC-Travel, Does Kadushi Travel, Touria Diving, Bonaire Fun Travel, and Holland International). The island also co-op advertises with its partner tour operators in Duikgids and Duiken Magazine. Statia is a member of CTO Holland wherein all major Dutch trade and consumer organizations are represented. Through this organization the island receives additional exposure in the marketplace. Statia is represented in the Netherlands by Interreps B.V.