FRIENDS OF STATIA

Statia 35+ basketball team off to Suriname

2011-10-17T12:59:00.003-03:00

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.

2011-10-03T11:30:00.002-03:00

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

2011-09-29T15:00:00.004-03:00

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

2011-07-04T11:07:00.003-04:00

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

2011-06-29T14:07:00.005-04:00

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

2011-06-06T15:01:00.003-04:00

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

2011-06-06T10:39:00.019-04:00

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

2011-05-24T09:35:00.002-04:00

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.

2011-05-24T08:55:00.003-04:00

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!

2011-05-17T08:07:00.006-04:00

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.

2011-05-06T09:21:00.002-03:00

“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.

2011-05-04T16:42:00.004-03:00

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.”

2011-05-04T16:21:00.002-03:00

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

2011-03-15T12:49:00.003-03:00

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.

2011-02-22T09:14:00.002-03:00

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.

2011-02-15T09:06:00.005-03:00

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

2011-01-25T15:06:00.006-03:00

(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

2011-01-06T16:26:00.003-03:00

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.

2010-12-23T11:19:00.003-03:00

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!

2010-10-05T08:42:00.015-04:00

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

2010-09-30T16:55:00.007-04:00

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

2010-09-07T15:46:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-23T15:41:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-08-06T15:18:00.002-04:00

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.

Students of the Broadreach program joins forces with Statia’s Tourist Office

2010-07-14T14:11:00.003-04:00

On June 30 2010 American students enrolled in the “Broad Reach Summer Adventures for teenagers” summer camp programme, designed and painted 8 new public signs for the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation.

The signs read “KEEP STATIA CLEAN”, KEEP STATIA GREEN”, “KEEP STATIA BEAUTIFUL” “PROTECT NATURE, GO GREEN STATIA” ETC. The Tourist Office is now in process of installing the signs on different locations around the island.

It is the hope of The Foundation that the community will notice the signs and be motivated to take care of the environment not only from a touristic point of view but for their own well being and for the next generations to come.

Broadreach is a trusted leader in Caribbean Scuba, Sailing, Marine Science & Community Service Summer Program for teenagers. The painting of the signs was one of the many community service activities that these students were scheduled to carry out. While on the island the students are scheduled to carry out daily community service work together with their different group leaders and instructors.

Thanks to STENAPA for this opportunity said Ms. Mitchell Public Relations Officer. While the kids were having fun painting these signs we at the STDF were more than happy to have these signs done for us. This is the first time that we have worked with this group and STENAPA in a long time on such a program. We are already seeking other areas in which these folks could assist us while on the island now and in the future says Ms. Mitchell.

Home Stays Statia Launched

2010-07-14T14:01:00.003-04:00

Founder and Owner of Home Stays Grenada Mrs Elisabeth Williams was invited to Statia by Mrs. Maya Leon-Pandt, Product and Development Manager at The St.Eustatius Tourist Office to give a presentation on how to get started as a Home Stay host. The event which took place at the lions Den was well attended and various members of the community immediatley signed up as hosts.

A homestay is an inexpensive way to visit the Caribbean, ideal for travellers with a family or on a budget. It is also great for single visitors providing a safe and friendly environment in which to meet people easily.

Presently there is only one Homestay Host on the website http://www.statiatourism.com/ but since the launch Mrs. Leon-Pandt has been busy with the process of getting the new hosts up and running so that they too can be added to the Website and be able to start taking reservations.

With this homestay programme the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation intend to increase community involvement in tourism on St.Eustatius, meet the needs of the tourist demand and adapt to the current changes in the tourism industry. The advantage of this programme is that little investment is necessary for both the homestay owners and the foundation.

Lady Francis takes a one year Leave

2010-01-26T16:40:00.004-03:00

Lady Francis takes year leave

Oranjestad- Statia’s Director of Tourism, Lady Alida Francis, is taking a one year leave effective February 01, 2010. Francis will join the team of Regional Service Center (RSC), where she will work as Communication Advisor. She is one of several experienced and qualified Statians whom the Dutch has recruited to play a role in the transition of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES islands) into public entities of the Netherlands per 10-10-10. On Monday evening, Commissioner Woodley, the Board and staff of the Foundation bid Francis farewell thanking her for loyal and dedicated service.

Francis is Director of Tourism of the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation since September 1992. Throughout her tenure she has worked tirelessly to promote St. Eustatius as a special interest tourism destination. Some accomplishments include the Statia Tourism Policy document, development of the tourism website, St Eustatius Investment Guide, Tourism Week and the Tourism Awards programme. Additionally, she has helped to expand the role of the Tourism Foundation to include units for Product Development & Research and Training & Quality Assurance. Under her leadership the Foundation has established ties with several colleges and universities in The Netherlands.

Apart from work, she has served St. Eustatius in various capacities to include; The Statia Saba Small Business Promotion Fund, Statia Flag & Coat of Arms Committee, STENAPA, Winair Supervisory Board of Directors, St. Eustatius Festivities Committee, Board of Bethel Methodist School to name a few. Her commitment and dedication to the people of Statia and their development earned her honorable recognition from H.M. Queen Beatrice of The Netherlands in 2007 as Knight in the Order of Oranje Nassau.

Lady Francis holds a degree in Journalism from the School of Journalism I in The Netherlands. She believes firmly that knowledge and information is education. Therefore, throughout her professional career she continued to sharpen and expand her skills in the areas of protocol, public relations, marketing and events management

“I am eternally grateful to the Tourist Board, staff, the Island Government and stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector locally, regionally and internationally for their support. Undertaking this new venture provides a unique opportunity to continue serving the people of Statia in an equally important capacity. I look forward to continuing good personal and professional relations with all stakeholders “.

The Regional Service Centre was established in December 2008 by the Dutch Government with the objective to provide citizens of the BES islands the best possible service. The Centre carries out various tasks on behalf of the Dutch Government. In her new role Lady Francis will function on all three islands.

Lady Alida Francis

Dagmar Paulus display her paintings at the Tourism Office

2009-12-10T16:31:00.005-03:00

Cutline: Artist Dagmar Paulus with two of her watercolour paintings.

ST. EUSTATIUS— An opening was held Wednesday evening for a display of

paintings and prints by Statia artist, Dagmar Paulus. The paintings

are on display at the offices of the Tourism Development Foundation,

and may be viewed there every weekday during opening hours, from 9 to

12 in the morning and from 1 to 5 in the afternoon, except that

closing is one-half hour earlier on Fridays. The exhibit will remain

in place until December 22nd.

Paulus works in water colour, acrylic, and oil, but since

2002 has focused on acrylic. She also paints designs on the local

calabash tree seed pods, which are a popular tourist souvenir item.

She is totally self-taught, and as a result, she says, her work

involves a lot of “trial and error.”

A good crowd of about eighty people attended the opening.

Paulus was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. She was educated at the

University of Vienna, where she studied philosophy, psychology,

pedagogy, and physical education.

For most of her career, she was a teacher and lecturer in Austria.

Since 1995, Paulus and her husband have visited St.

Eustatius more and more frequently. In 2000, they became residents,

spending the autumn and part of the winter in Statia but returning to

Austria for skiing and visiting family in the late winter and summer.

Paulus is active in volunteer activities on Statia, spending one

morning per week at the Historical Foundation Gallery on the bay and

another working at the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden. Besides the

special showing at the Tourism Office, her work may be seen at the

Historical Foundation Gallery in St. Eustatius or at the gallery Le

Saint Geran in St. Martin

ST. EUSTATIUS BOTANICAL GARDEN 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

2009-11-13T12:49:00.001-03:00

ST. EUSTATIUS BOTANICAL GARDEN 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Oranjestad. Ten years ago the Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden was inaugurated with the objective of preserving the native flora and fauna of St. Eustatius. Since then the garden has grown in size and stature with public gardens including a Sensory Garden, Palm Garden, Lookout Garden, Children’s Garden, and Fruit Garden. The Garden has also been featured in the 2009 publication ‘1001 Gardens to See Before You Die’, highlighting just how far it has come in ten short years. St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA) will be hosting three weeks of festivities beginning November 29 to commemorate this accomplishment.

During the first week of events STENAPA would like to invite the public to join in the celebrations at the garden with activities for young and old alike. Beginning on Sunday November 29, daily guided tours of the garden will be available, with free copies of the new Botanical Garden Visitors Guide for the first 100 visitors to the garden! To kick off the celebrations, there will be an evening food sale on Wednesday 2^nd December which will be followed by a rare opportunity to view the garden lit by the full moon. Everyone is invited to a botanical garden fete on Friday 4^th December, with many fun activities including face painting, relay races, arts and crafts, and much more. The official opening of the Children’s Garden will take place at the end of the fete, where the new Botanical Garden Visitors Guide will be available to purchase for the first time. The winners of the children’s and adult’s arts, crafts and poetry competition will also be recognised with prizes. The following two weeks will see school visits to the garden with hands-on garden activities including a scavenger hunt with STENAPA’s Junior Rangers. Throughout the month there will also be a photo exhibition featuring before and after pictures from the development of the Botanical Garden.

If you would like to find out more information about the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden and the 10 year anniversary celebration, including competition details, please contact the St. Eustatius National Parks office.

Nicole Esteban

Manager St. Eustatius National Parks

Gallows Bay

St Eustatius

Netherlands Antilles

Tel/ fax: (599) 318 2884

E-mail: manager@statiapark.org or

stenapa@goldenrocknet.com

Web: www.statiapark.org

Photographer, Writer and Paddle-boarder Susan Chaplin Paddles to St.Eustatius

2009-10-06T16:07:00.017-04:00

Photographer, Writer, and Paddle-boarder, Ms Susan Chaplin left Sandy Point St.Kitts on Monday morning October 5th, 2009 at 10:00 a.m., paddling her way through the channel of St. Kitts and Statia with her incredible, uncommon and unusual mode of transportation on her paddle board. Susan slowly and gracefully entered the harbour of St.Eustatius and arrived on Monday October 5th, precisely at 12:45 after two hours and forty five minutes with her escort vessel "Celica Blue" under the captaincy of Mr Samuel Lake and crew. Her son Eli also accompanied her on the escort vessel. Ms Susan Chaplin was met at the harbour by the Second Acting Lt. Governor, Mr. Louis Brown, Commissioner of Education, Culture and Sports, Mr. Roy Hooker, and Director of Tourism, Lady Alida Francis and Staff with a lovely bouquet of local flowers. Representatives of St.Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA) was also present. After speaking with the Government Officials, Susan had a short interview with the Government Information Service (G.I.S.) and the press and retired after her 8 mile paddle in the comfort of the Golden Era Hotel. Susan is originally from San Diego California and moved to the British Virgin Islands in 1994. She now lives full time on the island of Tortola. Ms Chaplin said she began paddling 18 years ago, and used to race in raft races in California over distances of 32 miles and also in the Hawaiian islands. Chaplin owns three paddle boards, and two surf boards, a bicycle, a computer and a camera. Susan's paddle board is fourteen feet long. Ms Chaplin likes to cross inter island channels and connect islands in the Caribbean island chain. Susan crossed the open ocean miles between St.Vincent and Grenada. In 2000, she connected the major islands in the Turks and Caicus, in 2000, she paddled one hundred fifty miles from Great Exuma to Nassau in the Bahamas. In 2001, she paddled from Ragged Island to Nuevitas Rock, ninety three miles through the remote, uninhabited Jumentos islands, which are sixty miles north of Cuba and south most in the Bahamas. Between 2002 and 2004, she was first to cross the four over twenty mile channels between Guadeloupe and St.Vincent. Most recently, she is first to paddle sixty miles from Tortola to Puerto Rico. Paddling in the Caribbean, Chaplin says, is not about setting records. The fun and challenge for a paddler in the Caribbean is in exploring West Indian islands. Island culture is different on each island. Chaplin says, West Indians are laid back but survival oriented.
Chaplin is a photographer and writer. Her writing and photos appear in sports publications like The Surfer's Journal, The Surfer's Path and Swim Magazine. Chaplin writes for West Indian Nautical Publications like the Caribbean Compass. Ms Chaplin is on her last leg of connecting the islands from St.Vincent and the Grenadines to Saba and at the same time concluding her paddle through the islands. Ms Chaplin expressed the very warm hospitality received and the friendliness of the people on Statia, and decided definitely to return to the island for a quiet and peaceful relaxation. On Tuesday, Susan visited the 6th graders of the Golden Rock Elementary School and was very intriqued after presenting a power point presentation of her paddle boarding experience through the different islands. The children listened with keen attention and posed various interesting questions. Radio Statia, PJF-1 had the privilege of interviewing her with regards to this unusual strange mode of transportation on a paddle board. Susan will be leaving St.Eustatius on her final paddling trip to saba on Thursday October 8th at 6:00 a.m., and is expected to arrive in Saba at aproximately 1:00 p.m. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation wishes you a very safe and successful paddling to Saba. Thank you for giving the island this unique exposure. Have a safe flight back to Tortola.

Tourism Week , Award Winning Ceremony, & Gala Dinner

2009-09-30T14:49:00.007-04:00

Mrs. Jack, Health Dept. with students from Rom. Cath. School
Students from the SDA at Joshua's Plantation
Mr. Wim Dejong receiving the Life Time Achievement Award
Students from the GvP visits G.E.B.E
Ms. Duinkerk, Labour with students from Gov. de Graaf School
Students from Bethel Meth. School visits Bobby's plantation

On Monday September 26th, St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, proudly celebrated the Annual World Tourism Day in collaboration with the opening of the 3rd Annual Tourism Week held 8:30 am at Fort Oranje. The theme for this year's programme was; Tourism Diversity and Globalization. Present was the Lt. Governor Mr Hyden Gittens, Commissioner of Tourism Mr. Julian Woodley, Commissioner of Education Mr Roy Hooker, and the principals and students of the Elementary Schools. After the ceremony of speeches the children enjoyed a variety of sandwiches and a drink. The rest of the week the activities took the form of field trips to the various tourism sectors and Government offices. Tourisn Week has always climaxed with the Annual Award Winning Ceremony and Gala Dinner at the Lion's Club Saturday evening at 7:oo pm. The nine catagory winners were in the area of Hotel, Restaurant, Dive shop, Waiter, Waitress, Car Rental, Travel Agency, Taxi, and Tour guide. There is also an allotted spot for the Life Time Award winner. The crowning act of the evening was the Keynote Speaker Mr. Dino Daal, Director of Product Development and Cruise Tourism Curacao Tourist Board. On behalf of the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, the Director of Tourism, Lady Alida Francis and Staff, many thanks to all the stakeholders who contributed in making Tourism Week, the Award Winning Ceremony and Gala Dinner a success. We wish everyone a very successful year upcoming in 2010.

Mega D & The Helping Hands - A Helping Hand (Official Video)

2009-08-24T15:03:00.003-04:00

This is an official video clip entitled, "Helping Hand", by the Mega-D Foundation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-eil_v9XfY&feature=email

Visit of Mrs. Ena Harvey Of IICA

2009-08-10T09:08:00.006-04:00

St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation was privileged to have had Mrs Ena Harvey, a Representative of Inter-American Institute Cooperation of Agriculture (IICA) in Costa Rica. Mrs Harvey is based in Barbados and arrived on Tuesday August 4th 2009. The purpose of her visit was; linking agriculture and tourism (Agrotourism). On Wednesday Mrs Harvey met individually with a cross-section of the farmers of the island and had a very fruitful discussion. The following day she met with the Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr Roy Hooker, which resulted in a positive follow-up plan for a more sustainable combined agrotourism on the island. Mrs Harvey climaxed with a very interesting presentation with the general public on Friday afternoon from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Mrs Harvey told the group, She enjoyed the historical tour and the island tour, and was very impressed with the history of the island. Mrs Harvey humbly admitted that she did not know that St.Eustatius was one of the most historical islands of the Caribbean. Mrs Harvey also enjoyed the genuinely friendly people of the island. Her visit was a very successful one. Mrs Harvey departed for Barbados on Saturday morning August 8th.

Ms Martine Beldor Doing Internship in St.Eustatius

2009-08-10T09:00:00.006-04:00

Intern Ms Martine Beldor, a student from the French West Indies of St.Martin, arrived on the island August 2nd and is presently studying at the University of Michel de Montaigne in Bordeaux France where she is preparing for a Bachelor Degree in foreign languages, English and Spanish with an option in International Tourism. In the framework of her school programme, Martine is required to carry out the internship abroad and has chosen to do her internship in the Caribbean, and particularly on the Island of St.Eustatius for one month. Martine wanted to get a close insight on the development of tourism on such an authentic and historic and beautiful island. Being at the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation as an intern, is providing me with a valuable experience and enables me to acquire various working skills in the tourism field. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation for giving me this wonderful privilege. Martine remarked, she loves the island and its friendly people. The Foundation would also like to thank Martine for choosing St.Eustatius to do her internship.
The Tourism Foundation would like to wish Ms Martine Beldor all the best and much success in all her endeavours.

45 YEARS OF MASS STATIA SUMMERFEST 2K9 WILL BE A BLAST

2009-07-02T12:40:00.001-04:00

Two Dutch Journalists visit St.Eustatius

2008-08-25T13:23:00.007-04:00

Dutch journalists of the Dutch dive magazine "Duiken", Mr Patrick Beijk and Nienke de Haan arrived on Statia Sunday August 17. Their entire trip was organized by ABC Travel in the Netherlands which included St.Eustatius, Saba and St.Maarten. The purpose of their visit is researching an article on the dive product, hiking trails, and looking at some of Statia's on-land attractions for the February issue 2009. The two writers who are from Groningen in the Netherlands will spend one week exploring St.Eustatius. The journalists are also sponsored by ABC Travel and their programme has been prepared by Public Relations, Mr Roland Lopes of the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, and the host hotel is the Old Gin House Hotel. In commenting on the several dives they have made so far, they said they were impressed by the great diversity of the dive product, including wrecks, walls, drop-offs, lava flow, coral gardens, and the abundance of marine life. They hiked the gilboa trail in the north with its breathtaking view of the volcano. On Sunday August 24th they climaxed their stay with an island tour by Mr. Roland Lopes. Mr. Beijk and Nienke de Haan left for Saba on Monday. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation wishes them all the best and bon voyage.

Travel Agent of Carlson Wagonlit Travel visits St.Eustatius

2008-08-01T11:08:00.003-04:00

Mr George Anastassov, a Senior Travel Consultant, with Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Toronto Canada, is part of one of the largest travel agencies in the world. He is visiting St.Eustatius for two days and the Golden Era Hotel and restaurant has been the host hotel. Mr Anastassov arrived on Wednesday July 30th and will be leaving on Friday August 1st 2008. He said he has visited many of the Caribbean islands, and has traveled to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The purpose of his trip is; to diversify the travel product for Canadians and others interested in looking for something new and different and mainly to include St.Eustatius in the destinations of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. He was given a tour of the hotel properties, dive shops and a stop by Ms Nicole Esteban, Manager of St.Eustatius National Parks (Stenapa), where he received a synopsis of the purpose and work of the organization. Mr Anastassov said he has been satisfied and is impressed. The island's tourism product is even better than he expected. Mr George Anastassov left for Bonaire, Curacao and then on to Canada.

Summerfest 2008 Revellers In Full Color

2008-07-31T10:15:00.005-04:00

This is what Summerfest is all about-hold on to your hat......

Strike a Pose-Its Summerfest TimeKing Tarzan doing his thing
Future Miss Statia
Miss Statia Bold and Beautiful 2008

NBO-Band From Aruba Visits For Statia's Carnival

2008-07-25T11:27:00.008-04:00

Aruba's Beat Band NBO, paid a dual visit to the island for the first time. The band was sponsored by Ms Maceba Mitchell and the Roots Foundation for the 2008 Carnival Festival. But, the ideal purpose of their visit was for a fund-raiser to purchase a respiratory/asthma machine for the Queen Beatrix Medical Center. NBO Beat Band arrived on the island on Friday July 18th and was met by a delegation. The band was scheduled to perform on Saturday evening. The delegation was comprised of the Commissioners, Tourist Office, Protocol and G.I.S. (Government information Service), Correspondent of The Daily Herald, and CTC TV, including two children; a boy and a girl, who had the honour of presenting them with a bouquet of flowers. Unfortunately, all of the delegation was unable to be present. The boy is the son of Ms Maceba Mitchell, Marshel Herman, and the girl, Zambia Berkel, the daughter of Joshua Spanner and Pamela Berkel. The kids are also asthma patients. The members of the band are also comprised of four Statians. The band members are as follows: Ms.Viviana Hooker, vocalist (Statian), Mr Kevin James, vocalist and owner of the band, Mr.Kembo Cheng, Pianist, progammer and arranger (Statian), Mr. Ortix Schmidt, guitar arranger (Statian), Mr. Charles Hooker, vocalist and keyboard (Statian), Mr Stanley LLoyd, drummer, Mr Elmer Cathlin, sound man, Mr Micheal Odor, piano, Mr Jobert Cabriela, sound crew, and Mr Nial Alexander, sound coordinator. St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation wishes NBO Band much success.

Students Visit St.Eustatius for Hiking Expedition

2008-07-17T15:56:00.013-04:00

On July 16th 2008, "Action Quest", a group of students from the US, Canada, The Netherlands, and England sailed from the island of Tortola, the British Virgin Islands enroute to other Caribbean islands on their annual summer field trip training. This has been the fourth catamaran of students so far for the summer. The name of the catamaran is Cajou I. The purpose of their trip includes; sailing, culture, and hiking. The students made the hike to the volcano and their comments were; the Quill is an attractive lush tropical rain forest and the trails are all well marked. Eight out of the group visited the Fort and the tourist office. The various comments written in the guest book are as follows: Terry and Laurie Baker New York; a time of discovery, Lisa Ewing Florida; full of beauty, Emily Troy England; very interesting, Elisabeth Patterson Georgia; cool island, Anna Booth Texas; a beautiful place, Emily Walls Texas; fascinating island, Spirk Huizinga The Netherlands; a nice place and Cleopatra Carti The Netherlands; tranquil. Action Quest students left for Nevis on Friday July 18th.

Canon Found on "Kerkweg" During Road Restoration

2008-07-09T11:43:00.005-04:00

First unearthing of the canon
On Friday morning July 4th, at the beginning of the road restoration of Kerkweg, the supervisor of the project, Mr. Luuk ten Heuvel and his employees saw part of a canon while the operator of the escavator was preparing the road for further construction. Immediately after, the Archaeologist Mr. R. Grant Gilmore lll, PhD, and his team were called on the scene and with his instruction they slowly unearthed and lifted the 6 pounder canon and had it removed a little distant from its location. The team began cleaning and dusting the artefacts. When Mr Gilmore has completed his findings the canon will be relocated at the St.Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum.

Tour operator Esther de Munck-visits Statia

2008-07-09T11:23:00.003-04:00

TOUR OPERATOR FROM HOLLAND VISITS ST.EUSTATIUS

Tour Operator Ms Esther de Munck of Travel Trend Holland, made a familiarization trip to St.Eustatius. Ms de Munck and her husband arrived from Saba on Sunday June 22 and departed on Tuesday June 24th 2008. The purpose of her trip was to familiarize herself with the island and its tourism product, and to include St.Eustatius and Saba in Travel Trend programme of destinations. Their accommodation was arranged by Travel Trend and the Old Gin House was the host hotel. On Monday Ms de Munck and her husband made the hike to the Quill and enjoyed their descent into the lush tropical rain forest.

After they ascended, they took the trail and continued their hike from the Quill to the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden. In the afternoon they made the island tour and was impressed with the historical sites, the St.Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum, the old antique restored gingerbread houses, and the combination of the brick and cobble stone streets of the17^th century. They loved Fort Oranje. Ms de Munck and her husband remarked, it is very peaceful and they truly enjoyed every moment on the island and looking forward in doing business.

Mr Roland Lopes

Public Relations

Dutch Ambassador of Santo Domingo Visits St.Eustatius

2008-07-09T11:10:00.009-04:00

Mr. Aart Jan Verdegaal standing in front of the "Michiel Andriaansz de Ruyter Monument" in Fort Oranje.
Dutch Ambassador Mr. Aart Jan Verdegaal, H.M. Ambassador to Santo Domingo, paid a working visit to the Windward Islands July 6th to 9th 2008. The Ambassador arrived on the island on Tuesday July 8th at 7:25am. Mr. Jan Verdegaal was met at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Airport by second Acting Lt. Governor, Mr Louis Brown and Mrs. Mercedes Lopes-Spanner from the Department of Protocol and Government Information Service. The Ambassador Mr. Aart Jan Verdegaal made a courtesy visit to the office of the Acting Lt. Governor, Mr. Gerald Berkel and concluded his stay with an island tour. Mr Verdegaal was impressed and commented, a beautiful island. The Ambassador departed to Saba at 12:15pm.

Friends of Teacher Clarke-Brown visits Statia

2008-07-09T10:54:00.005-04:00

In picture left to right: Maritza Pieters, Mercedes Hermina, Debby Clarke, Riny Hermina
Comments: beautiful, wonderful, peaceful

Friends of Teacher Clarke-Brown, Principal of the Golden Rock Primary School visited St.Eustatius on July 9th 2008. They hail from the island of Curacao. This was their first visit to the island. They were overwhelmed with the rich history, the friendly people and the peacefulness. After visiting the tourist office, they were given a short history of Fort Oranje and of the island. Ms Maritza Pieters, Ms Mercedes Hermina and Riny Hermina left on the evening flight to St.Maarten.

Franky's Place-Where the Nights Comes Alive

2008-07-09T09:49:00.006-04:00

Franky socializing with some of his guest.
When you say Franky's Place you know you are talking Fun-Fun-Fun
Fun and a little discussion amongst friends at Franky's Place. Where Lunch & Dinner is served

New Couple Married in Fort Oranje

2008-07-08T13:39:00.009-04:00

Western Bastion-Fort Oranje
Tourist Office-Fort Oranje-Newly Weds with Marriage officer-Mrs. E. Maduro-Merkman

Mr Everson Everette Powell, born in Nevis and residing in St.Maarten and Ms Jandery Jessenia Daniel, born in Santo Domingo also residing in St.Maarten choose St.Eustatius, and the exotic and historic Fort Oranje for the venue of their wedding. The legal proceedings took place in the western bastion of Fort Oranje, but the signing of the documents were done in the Tourist Office.

BroadReach Program

2008-07-02T14:14:00.004-04:00

On July 1st 2008, 3 vessels (in picture) visited the Island of Statia, carrying a group of students from around the globe. These kids are part of a broad-reach program, their main interest are diving. We are highly appreciative to see that Statia have been selected as one of the dive destination of preference for this group. In the words of some of the students: "Kelly King-pretty cool, Ali Ballantyne-intense volcano, Kat Fore-awesome, Carol Lang-great place for pictures, Nathan Coldham-sweet hike.

Dutch Ambassador of Washington D.C. Visits St.Eustatius

2008-06-30T11:43:00.007-04:00

In Picture from left to right, Act. Lt. Governor Mr. Louis Brown, Lt. Governor Mr. Hyden Gittens, Dutch Ambassador of Washington D.C., drs. Christiaan Kroner, Minister of Plenipotentiary, of Washington D.C., Mr Norberto Ribeiro LL.M, STDF Director of Tourism Lady Alida Francis
Dutch Ambassador of Washington D.C., drs. Christiaan Kroner paid a short visit to St.Eustatius on Wednesday May 29th 2008. Accompanying the Ambassador, was the Minister of Plenipotentiary, of Washington D.C., Mr Norberto Ribeiro LL.M. His itinerary included St.Maarten Saba and St.Eustatius. The Ambassador was met at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Airport by the second Acting Lt. Governor, Mr Louis Brown and Mrs Mercedes Lopes-Spanner of the Protocol Department. The Ambassador drs. Christiaan Kroner met with the Lt. Governor, Mr Hyden Gittens, and after his session with the Lt. Governor, lunch followed at the Old Gin House, courtesy of the Executive Council including, Island Council Member, Mr Clyde van Putten. The Ambassador concluded his visit with an island tour. This was the Ambassador's first visit to the island. After a full day's programme, the Ambassador and the Minister departed for Saba on the afternoon flight. The Ambassador, and the Minister spent a day on St.Maarten and return to Washington D.C. on Saturday May 31st 2008.

Roads Restoration of Oranjestad 17th Century Look

2008-06-13T11:50:00.004-04:00

Van Tonningen Weg
Paramira Weg
Fort Oranjestraat

Oranjestad Road Restoration Project
The restoration of Oranjestad road project has started to take shape. This is especially so, in collaboration with the Historical Core Project which begun in 1996 for the restoration of a section of the traditional gingerbread houses in vaous locations in downtown Oranjestad. In the first quarter of 1997, a Monument Ordinance for the whole island was presented to the Executive Council and Island Council for approval. The Executive Council and the Island Council approved the ordinance. The road restoration project begun in October 2006. The roads taken into account and approved for the road restoration project are; a section of Fort Oranjestraat, Wilhelminaweg, a section of Van Tonningenweg, short section of Pararmiraweg, Emmaweg, Kerkweg, Breedeweg, and Damsteeg. Van Tonningenweg, Wilhelminaweg, Emmaweg, Daamsteeg and Pararmiraweg is now completed, leaving Fort Oranjestraat, Kerkweg, and Breedeweg to be completed. Both projects have been financed by Dutch Development Funds. Planning Bureau is coordinating the project and is scheduled to be completed in August or September 2008. Oranjestad has really taken on a brand new look. The town of Oranjestad has already the look of an attractive antique town of the 17th and 18th century.

Minister of Traffic & Waterways Ir. Mr. C. Eurlings Visits St.Eustatius

2008-06-12T11:31:00.015-04:00

In picture left to right: Commissioner of Finance, Mr Roy Hooker, Minister of Traffic and Waterways, Ir. Camiel M.P.S. Eurlings, and Director of Tourism, Lady Alida Francis.

Minister of Traffic and Waterways of the Netherlands, Ir. Camiel Eurlings and his delegation comprising of eight government officials made a one day introductory visit to St.Eustatius on June 6th 2008. The delegation was comprised of the following; Ir. J.F. de Leeuw, Inspector General, Ing. P. Langebaerd, Mr. R. Annaert, L. Poppes, Ir. T. Franssen, Mevrouw mr. M. Stegeman, and Mr. R. Vermaas, Representative of the Netherlands. The purpose of his visit was a working visit. The programme included, Lunch with the members of the Executive Council and the Island Secretary at Blue Bead Restaurant, a tour of the harbour, Fort Oranje, the Dutch Reformed Church, Fort de Windt, and Statia Oil Terminals NV NuStar. A Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.), was also signed with regards to the development of the harbour and the airport between the Island Government and the Dutch Government. Despite of his busy itinerary, Ir. Camiel Eurlings enjoyed his stay and made this comment; St.Eustatius is absolutely unique, I will return shortly with my family. After his short stay on the island, Minister Ir. Mr C. Eurlings and his delegation left for St.Maarten at 17:15pm.

2008 SUMMERFEST SCHEDULE

2008-06-11T12:39:00.005-04:00

70 years Celebration of Parliament in the Netherlands Antilles

2008-05-22T13:17:00.014-04:00

Fort Oranje
Fort Oranje
The Netherlands Antilles has celebrated 70 years of Parliament on their respective islands. This has certainly been a tremendous mile stone for the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles. Festivities were held on the different islands separately, commemorating the 70 years event. St.Eustatius celebrated the occasion on Thursday April 10th 2008 with an Ecumenical Church Service which was held at 5:00PM at the Bethel Methodist Church. Immediately following the church service there was a public reception and programme, combined with a cultural manifestation and dinner at Fort Oranje. The programme included a variety of cultural presentations by various organizations and local artists exhibiting their raw talents, making the evening a super enjoyable one. Highlight of the evening was a nice representation of the different islands namely; St.Kitts, Suriname, Guyana, Santo Domingo, and Statia, with a delicious touch of their local dishes. These are the following federal officials of St.Eustatius who served in various capacities in the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles. Mr Ralph Berkel, the first to hold the status of an observer in parliament (spokesman), a form of representation for the island of St.Eustatius from 1981-1983, followed by Mr Kenneth Lopes, also an observer in parliament 1983-1986. Mr Kenneth van Putten, became the first member of parliament and Senator, representing the island of St.Eustatius, 1986-1998, Mr Ellis Woodley, Minister of Education 1987-1990, Mr Cyril Lopes, State Secretary General Affairs, 1992-1994, Mrs Leonora Sneek-Gibbs, State Secretary for Constitutional Affairs,1994-1996, Mr Ralph Berkel, State Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, 1997-1998, Mr Clyde van Putten, Senator, 1998-2002, Miss Maria Bass, State Secretary of General Affairs, 1999-2002, Mr Julian Woodley, Senator, 2002-2007, Mr Ernie Simmons, State Secretary of Justice, 2006 until present. This has been the positions held by the abovementioned individuals in the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.

2008-05-15T10:44:00.002-04:00

Chantal Medrinal, visited Statia in 1978 and returned 30 years after on May 13, 2008, "This is a lovely place only problem I never have enough time to see everything". Welcome back Mrs. Medrinal.

Customer Service Care Workshop

2008-05-15T10:11:00.003-04:00

Participants during the Customer Service Care Workshop from May 08 to May 09, 2008 held at the Gwendoline van Putten School.

2008-05-15T09:55:00.002-04:00

In picture is the Mrs. Bonita Morgan (far right) , HR. Director of CTO, Mr. Charles Lindo, Deputy Director STDF and the teachers who took part in the 3 day Teachers Tourism Education Workshop from May 05 to May 07, 2008, which took place at the Innovation Bureau.

2008-05-15T09:38:00.002-04:00

These two pictures represent the Teachers Tourism Education Workshop, held at the Innovation Bureau from May 05 to May 07, 2008. In pictures is Mrs. Bonita Morgan and a few of the teachers who took part in this workshop.

2008-05-15T09:33:00.001-04:00

2008-05-15T09:23:00.002-04:00

In pictures Mrs. Bonita Morgan Hr. Director, CTO, on area where road work is ongoing, May 03, 2008.

2008-05-15T08:54:00.003-04:00

In picture management team-Seadream Yacht Club-Who visited Statia on May 02, 2008 with intention of including Statia to their cruise schedule for the year 2009. In picture left to right Mr. Claudius Docekal, Senior Director Land Adventures & Itinerary Planning, Mr. Charles Lindo, Deputy Director St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, Ms. Kassie Walker-Manager Land Adventures, Bert van Middendorp-Sr.VP Hotel Operation and Quality Assurance.

Ziggi's first official new album "need to tell you this"

2008-04-10T09:23:00.002-04:00

Press release

European reggae hit "Need to tell you this" will be Ziggi's first official new single

Rotterdam 9th of April '08

The first official single from Holland's #1 reggae artist Ziggi is called "Need to tell you this". The single is already a hit in Europe and is growing strong in Jamaica. The tune is an authentic but still modern reggae track. In "Need to tell you this" Ziggi sings about his being away from home often and missing his love. The video for this single can be soon seen on the different music channels and internet portals.

After what may be considered a successful début, capturing several awards with his first album "So Much Reasons", Ziggi is finally ready to release his second album entitled "In Transit". Ziggi has managed to take his musical talent to the next level both in writing and vocals. "Need to tell you this" is a good preview of Ziggi's new album.

On "In Transit" Ziggi has collaborated with international heavyweights such as Gentleman, Anthony B and Ce'Cile. The new album will be released in the beginning of September in The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France.

You can see Ziggi with his energetic live performance this festival season in The Netherlands and trough out Europe with a fresh and new repertoire!

Mr. & Mrs. Karl and Roswitha Rabitsch

2008-03-26T15:14:00.003-03:00

Wir Finden Eustatius Wunderbar 03/18/08

Marine Biology Students-From aboard the vessel "Alva"-Swedish Highschool

2008-03-26T14:51:00.005-03:00

Italian Freelance Travel Writer Visits St.Eustatius

2008-03-07T12:00:00.006-03:00

ORANJESTAD - Freelance writer from Italy, Mr Giovanni Brancaccio visited the island of St.Eustatius. This was his first visit to the Caribbean, and he was quite amazed and impressed with the island and its friendly people. Mr Brancaccio said, he took a lot of pictures of the island. It is very attractive and offers a nice package for the type of clientel that the magazine is catering for. He said, he learned about the island through the website. Mr Grancaccio highly commended the website. He also said that he enjoyed the exotic historical sites and buildings. The name of the main magazine he writes for is; "Internationale". The magazine promotes history, culture and travel, and has a strong cicrculation in Italy. Mr Grancaccio spent three days on Statia, and left the island on Thursday March 6th 2008. He will be spending three months in the Caribbean visiting and writing about other islands, just to name a few; St.Barths, Dominica, St.Vincent and expects to be back in Italy in April of this year.

Proclamation by President Bush on Dutch-American Friendship Day , 2007

2008-03-07T11:31:00.004-03:00

Press Release

Source: White House Press Office

A Proclamation By the President of the United States of America
Dutch-American Friendship Day, 2007

Our close partnership with the Netherlands dates back to the founding of our Nation, and it remains among our oldest continuous relationships. Many of the Pilgrims first sailed for the New World from a Dutch port, and when a small American warship approached the island of St. Eustatius in 1776, the Dutch port there gave the American flag its first friendly gun salute. A few years later, the Netherlands became one of the first nations to recognize the independence of the United States of America. The United States and the Netherlands are continuing that tradition of close cooperation in the 21st century, working together to bring hope and liberty to places where it has long been denied.

Dutch Americans have enriched the American experience and have helped write our history, strengthen our character, and shape our society. Today, we pay tribute to our allies in the Netherlands and recognize the proud citizens of Dutch ancestry who call America home.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States do hereby proclaim April 19, 2007, as Dutch-American Friendship Day. I encourage all Americans to celebrate our country's Dutch heritage and the many ways Dutch Americans have strengthened our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Contact:

White House Press Office

1-202-456-2580

Source: White House Press Office

2008-03-06T14:59:00.002-03:00

GWENDOLYN VAN PUTTEN SCHOOL EMBARKS ON TOURISM PILOT PROJECT AS PART OF CURRICULUM

Last year the Secondary School and the Elementary Schools embarked upon the Tourism Pilot Project as part of their curriculum. This year, the St.Eustatius Tourism Foundation has launched the project with a new theme entitled; “Week of The Future”. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, (STDF), had the privilege to accommodate nine students from the Gwendolyn van Putten School. This was the class of PBL and PKL accompanied by their teacher, Mr Bart van den Anker at the Tourist Office on Monday March 3^th 2008.

The purpose of their visit was; to orient themselves with the tourism product on the island. Mr Bart van den Anker, introduced the students to Deputy Director, Mr Charles Lindo and Public Relations, Mr Roland Lopes of the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation. Mr Lopes then spoke to the students on the rich history of the island, and the connecting history, concerning the ties the island developed with the Unites States of America during the 17^th and 18^th century. Mr Charles Lindo followed with a synopsis of career training, the importance of having a good education, and the impact the tourism industry would have on the island.

The STDF in its effort to inspire and train the tourism and hospitality sectors will continue to keep the tourism awareness programme in the schools and for future generations in maintaining a sustainable tourism product.

Mr Roland Lopes

Public relations

US Travel Writer & Dutch Journalist Visit St.Eustatius

2008-02-25T10:59:00.014-03:00

ST.EUSTATIUS- Dutch travel photographer and writer, Mr Jochem Wijnands, for the Dutch National Geographic magazine, and travel writer, Ms Brooke Morton of Sport Diver Magazine, visited Statia. Mr. Wijnands is spending about six months covering all the Dutch islands in preparation for approximately, a 32 page article to appear in the travel magazine edition of Dutch National Geographic. He arrived on Wednesday Feb. 20th and leaves on Feb. 29th 2008. Mr Wijnands who lives in the Netherlands, has brought his family along because, he says, otherwise he would never get to see them. He says he likes small communities, and is very impressed with the friendly atmosphere and the cheerful but unhurried attitude of the people he has met. MS Morton arrived on Feb. 19th and will be leaving on Feb. 24th 2008. The purpose of her visit is, Ms Morton is preparing a feature story for the July issue of Sport Diver magazine. According to Ms Morton Statia has made quite an impression on me, and I have never heard about the island before. The diving is excellent, it is world class and I'm also impressed with its diversity and quality, it was more than I expected. She says Statia has the biggest wrecks for wreck diving she has seen. Ms Morton says she also enjoyed the Old Gin House hotel, the food and the nice friendly staff. They both expressed that they are enjoying their stay on the island and looking forward in exploring more of the island.

Lions District Governor Visits St.Eustatius

2008-02-14T11:46:00.004-03:00

Left to right, Mr. Charles Lindo, Deputy Director, Mr. Roland Lopes, Public Relations, District Governor, Mr. John E. Ebanks, and Lions President, Ms. Bernadine Pandt.

ORANJESTAD - Governor of the Lions District 60B, Mr John E. Ebanks arrived on St.Eustatius Wednesday Feb. 6th 2008 at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Airport. The District Governor, Mr. Ebanks was welcomed by Statia Lions President, Ms Bernadine Pandt and Lion Leonora Sneek-Gibbs. Shortly after his arrival, Mr Ebanks and the Lions President Bernadine Pandt visited the tourist office, met with Deputy Director, Mr Charles Lindo, and Public Relations, Mr. Roland Lopes. After his visit at the tourist office the District Governor was given a historic tour of Fort Oranje, a short history of the island by Mr. Roland Lopes, and in the interest of time concluded his tour at the St.Eustatius Historical Museum. Later in the morning, the Lions District Governor also paid a courtesy call at the Government Administration Building, where he met with Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Julian Woodley, Comissioner of Finance, Mr. Roy Hooker, and the Lt. Governor Mr. Hyden Gittens. The District Governor met with members of the Lions Club during a meeting held on Wednesday evening at the Lions Den. Mr Ebanks said the District Governor is in charge of Lions Clubs from Barbados in the southeast to the Cayman islands in the west. These are 26 islands, with a total club membership of 1,941, according to the last count that was held December 30th 2007. The District Governor began his tour of the 26 Caribbean islands in August 2007, and will complete his visits in March 2008. After leaving the island of St.Eustatius, the District Governor will visit the islands of Anguilla and St.Maarten.
Mr Ebanks was very impressed with the island.

Linda Whitwam of Eyewitness Travel Guide

2008-02-12T17:32:00.002-03:00

Freelance Writer Linda Whitwam, left, and Mr Roland Lopes, Public Relations, St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation.

Photographer records cultural, historical Statia

ST. EUSTATIUS— Linda Whitwam, a freelance photographer from Yorkshire, England, in the United Kingdom, visited St. Eustatius Feb. 4th to 6th 2008. Ms Whitwam photographed a number of sites on the island. Whitwam is working on an “Eyewitness Travel Guide” for DK Publications.
Whitwam says that the Eyewitness guides try to focus on the cultural and historical aspects of the places they cover, and include many photos. The Caribbean book, which will be ready in the summer of 2009, will cover 17 islands. She has visited, or will visit, most of the islands between Martinique and Puerto Rico.
Whitwam says she has found the Statia people to be very hospitable, and also photogenic, friendly, and helpful. She climbed the Quill with Park Ranger Nadio Spanner, and visited Fort Oranje, the Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden, the Historical Foundation Museum, Zeelandia Beach, and Fort de Windt. She was able, with a boat from King’s Well Resort, to photograph the Quill from the sea. Whitwam feels that her book will boost Statia’s tourism by providing information to special interest groups who will want to experience what Statia has to offer.

Freelance Writer Linda Whitwam, left, with Roland Lopes, Public Relations, St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation.

Travel Writer of Lonely Planet Visits Statia

2008-02-12T16:31:00.001-03:00

Travel Writer Brandon Presser, right, and Mr Roland Lopes, Public Relations, St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation.

ST. EUSTATIUS— Brandon Presser, a writer with Lonely Planet, visited St. Eustatius Feb. 2nd to 5th 2008, to gather information of St.Eustatius for a travel guide being prepared by his company. The guide he is working on will cover all of the Caribbean islands, but he is concentrating on this trip on just five: Statia, Saba, St. Maarten, Anguilla, and St. Barths.
Hosted by the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, Presser climbed to the top of the Quill and went scuba diving. He especially liked some of the wreck dive sites.
He says his organization tries to find tourism destinations that are a little different from those that are better known. He especially liked Statia, because, he said, “the island has not sold out to tourism.” In addition, the friendly Statia custom of saying hello to everyone you meet, whether you know him or her or not, impressed him.

Reggae Artist Mega D does solo tour in Africa

2008-02-05T15:35:00.000-03:00

Dancehall/reggae artist Mega D does solo tour in Africa

The dancehall/reggae artist Mega D also known as D. Humphreys, originally born in Sint Maarten but grew up Statia will be doing a three week tour through Senegal and Gambia

Mega D has 14 shows scheduled that is powered by Nescafe Senegal, which will begin the second week of February until the first week of March, and will be accompanied by his Dj, road manager, Edvin‘Donga’ Redan (hype man) and Bq a.k.a Lion man,a popular dancehall artist from Senegal

Mega D is part of the highly successful, well known and respected European group called the RMXCRW (remix crew) who is rated as one of the best live acts throughout Europe, South America, and Asia.

Mega D is currently focusing on his solo career as he plans to re-locate to Miami, Florida later this year, He feels its time to let his real self be heard, and bring back his raw side and go back to his roots as the Island kid with the Yardcore rugged street sounds

However he is still very active with his group RMXCRW as they are planning the international release of their sophmore album and a tour this april in the Caribbean, Asia and South America

At the moment he is now working in Miami fl recording for his first debut album that will be released late this year.

He recently hooked up with a very well know Antiguan producer that goes under the name of Jus Bus, who produces for many international artists like Vybez kartel, Delly Ranks, alozade Kenyatta, Sizzla and many more.

He will be featured on the new riddim that’s call: war head riddim that will be release early this year worldwide.

Mega D has shared stages with multi platinum artists such as: Elephant Man, Capleton, Wayne Wonder, Sean Paul Akon, T.O.K and many more, and collaborate with many international artist like DMX, Mr Vegas, Dj kool & Red Rat who will also appear on his album.

STATIA ATTENDS DUTCH HOLIDAY SHOW VAKANTIE BEURS

2008-01-07T17:04:00.000-03:00

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.

CHARLES LINDO APPOINTED DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF TOURISM

2008-01-07T16:27:00.000-03:00

Oranjestad- The St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation has appointed Mr. Charles Lindo Deputy Director of Tourism effective January 01, 2008. The Johnson & Wales graduate is a native of St. Eustatius and has some ten years hospitality sector experience. As Deputy Director, Mr. Lindo will hold responsibility for Training and Quality Assurance. His main tasks includes: providing technical support in the areas of management, training and quality assurance, coordinating the implementation of training and education programmes, liaise with the hospitality sector operators on matters
pertaining to their development within the industry; promoting quality achievement and performance improvement throughout St. Eustatius’ hospitality sector among others.

This is the first time such a position has been created within the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation. “I am optimistic about this new responsibility and look forward to a positive and productive working relationship with key partners in the hospitality sector. If tourism in St. Eustatius is to be successful, we must work on building the capacity of workers in the tourism/hospitality sector. We must also be prepared to offer a quality tourism product”, says Mr.Lindo.

Mr. Lindo holds degrees from Johnson & Wales University in Business-Hospitality Management, Hotel & Restaurant Management and Food & Beverage Management. He has managed several leading hospitality operations on St. Maarten, Aruba, Curacao and California.

2007-12-19T12:37:00.000-03:00

St.Eustatius wat een prachtig eiland
Nel Kromhout, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)

Wow, impressive!
J. and E. Verschuren (The Netherlands)

Hele vriendelijke bevolking. Altijd mooi weer en een prachtig eiland
Evert and Menke Douma (The Netherlands)

Visit of Travel Writer Harald Steiner

2007-12-19T11:06:00.000-03:00

The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation is pleased to announce the arrival of Travel Writer Mr. Harald Steiner. He will arrive on Wednesday December 19th and will be returning on December 22nd 2007. Mr. Steiner will be writing a story on St.Eustatius. This is his first visit to the island. Mr. Steiner will be visiting dive shops, hotels, Stenapa, historical sites, the Quill and other areas of interest. The St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation is looking forward to hosting Mr. Steiner. More information will be following concerning his visit. Mr. Steiner will be leaving on Saturday for the island of Saba.

Calender of Events 2008

2007-12-18T11:55:00.000-03:00

January 1^st New Year’s Day (National Holiday)

March 21^st Good Friday (National Holiday)

March 23^rd Easter Sunday (National Holiday)

March 24^th Easter Monday (National Holiday)

Island wide beach picnics, music, jam, food and drinks.

April 30^th Queens’ Birthday Celebrations of Former

Queen Juliana (National Holiday)

Cultural events, sport activities, picnics and music.

May 1^st Labour Day & Ascension Day (National Holiday)

July 1^st Emancipation Day

Ceremonies and celebrations of the abolition of slavery.

July 20^th to July 29^th Statia Carnival

Festivities at carnival village nightly, with lots to eat and drink, music, local & international show and beauty & calypso contests.

July 31^st Carnival Monday (Local Holiday)

October 21^st Antillean Day (National Holiday)

Cultural festivities and celebrations commemorating Antillean Day. Flag raising ceremony, speeches by Government officials, Sports & music.

November 13^th to 16th Golden Rock Regatta

November 9^th – 16^th Statia-America Day Celebrations

November 16^th Statia- America Day (National Holiday)

An entire week of Cultural Manifestation and celebration. Flag raising ceremony & program on November 16^th commemorating the First Salute to the American Flag by a foreign power. Dignitaries & Government officials from neighbouring islands.

December 25^th Christmas Day (National Holiday)

December 26^th Boxing Day (National Holiday)

Season's Greetings from Statia

2007-12-17T10:21:00.000-03:00

The St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation extends warm wishes to families and friends for a bright holiday season and prosperous new year. We wish you good health and strength.

World Class Diving Statia

2007-12-04T15:24:00.000-03:00

Scuba Diving has grown and developed like a mushroom in the tourism industry. When diving first began, no one in the industry would have imagined that this would have grown so very fast and become such an attractive sport. It has grown like a silent vegetable into an empire in the industry. Not to miss, is the tremendous amount of female divers the sport has attracted. St.Eustatius is one of the islands that has attracted many visitors. Diving has become and is, the main attraction of the island. There is a variety of diving available in St.Eustatius. Statia is home to virgin diving and various types of diving. Just to name a few; shallow dive, deep dive, night dive, computer dive, archaeological dive and wreck diving. For the none diver, you can snorkel over the ruins and walls of the seventeen century just in front of your hotel along the waterfront. Most of the hotspots have become overrun and impacted by divers. Divers are looking for new dive destinations that is unknown by many. St.Eustatius is that spot and destination.

Photograph courtesy Stenapa

Statia Marine Park acquires National Park status

2007-12-04T12:20:00.000-03:00

Oranjestad- The St. Eustatius National Parks Association (STENAPA) on Monday, December 03, 2007 launched a week long programme of activities to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the St. Eustatius Marine Park and the Official Opening of the new STENAPA Visitor Center in Lower Town. During this ceremony President of the Board, Mr. Irving Brown and Parks Manager, Mrs. Nicole Esteban, were presented with a plaque by Mr.Paul Hoetjes, Director of the Federal Department of Environment announcing the National Park status of the Statia Marine Park. Park officials were also presented with a copy of the November 27th, 2007 Federal Decree confirming National Park status for the St. Eustatius Marine Park.With this new Federal Decree St. Eustatius has become the first island of the Dutch Caribbean with two National Parks. In 1998 The Quill/Boven National Park became the first national land park in the Dutch Caribbean.

Her Excellency, Acting Governor General of the Netherlands Antilles, Mrs. Adele Paulina van der Pluijm-Vrede, delivered the keynote address. Following her address, in which she strongly urged Statians to take good care of their island and its resources, the Act. Governor General joined STENAPA's President, Mr. Irving Brown, in the unveiling of the new Visitor Center sign.

In his address Statia's Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Julian Woodley, commended STENAPA for their consistent and invaluable contributions to environmental management and conservation. "On this your 10th Anniversary, we can truly say STEANAPA has laid the foundation for the development of sustainable tourism". Commissioner Woodley acknowledged there is more Government can do to facilitate the work of STENAPA. "I acknowledge Government must now seek to implement existing policies and laws to deal with ongoing littering and illegal dumping of construction and household waste. Implementation of the laws must go hand in hand with public awareness. By doing this we would be contributing in a positive and holistic way to sound environmental management and sustainable development". The Commissioner also thanked the dive sector for their contributions to the growth of tourism in St. Eustatius.

A contingent of kingdom, federal and island government representatives were in attendance. These included among others Governor of St. Eustatius, Mr. Hyden Gittens, Drs. de Maan Senior Policy Worker of Dutch Representation Office in Willemstad, Drs. van Toorn, Senior Policy Worker, Dutch Representation Office in Philipsburg, Mrs. Kali de Meyer. Executive Director of Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, Mr. Boekel and Ing. Rood of the Department of Physical Planning and Environment. The Golden Rock Song was sung by 13 year old Urisha Blake while the invocation was done by Reverend Dr. Joan Delsol Meade of the Methodist congregation.

For more information visit www.statiapark.org

Photo by: Lynn Kennedy

The passage to Statia

2007-11-29T14:56:00.000-03:00

As soon as the first rays of sunshine poked over the horizon, the crew of Ocean Star was up and raising anchor. We departed from Ile Fourche and motored back to Gustavia, St. Barths. As soon as we entered the harbor we dropped anchor and Boomer took off on Irving to clear us out of St. Barths. While Boomer was clearing, the rest of the crew undertook sail preparations. We then raised anchor and set sail for the island of Statia. We had good wind coming from the east and we averaged about 8kts of speed. The passage overall was exciting. We performed some jibes and maneuvered our way through sticky situations around big moorings and oil tankers. We anchored off Statia in the early afternoon and got lines, sails and the deck squared away. Henry then gave his presentation on Statia and shipmates spent the remainder of their afternoon studying, practicing chart work, and swimming.

Author: Stephen

Little Statia - Big Time History and Diving

2007-11-29T14:15:00.000-03:00

Unless you are an in-the-know diver or a history buff, you probably never heard of St. Eustatius. The 12-square-mile Netherlands Antillean Island, positioned 38 miles south of St. Maarten, is a quiet place. In fact, the scuttlebutt is that a St. Maarten police officer sent to serve on the island thinks he is being punished because there is nothing for him to do.

In the 18th century, Statia, as it is affectionately called, was the big time-very big time. So many ships carrying slaves, sugar, cotton and ammunition crowded its harbor that it was tagged the Emporium of the Western World and the Golden Rock. That abruptly changed. On November 16, 1776, the American Brig-of-War, the "Andrew Doria", rolled into port. By giving it an 11-gun salute, Statia became the first country to recognize U.S. independence. Not a popular gesture with Great Britain. British Admiral Rodney retaliated. In 1781, he looted and economically destroyed the island. Even though 200-plus years have past, it has never really recovered.

Those famous shots originated from Ft. Oranje, a Statia bastion since 1636. Located in Oranjestad, the island's only village, its courtyard is the site of the original Dutch Reformed Church, built in 1776. The outside of another religious structure, Holen Dalim, is located on Synagogepad (Synagogue Path). It is one of the oldest synagogues in the Caribbean (1738). The Jews once managed the island's commerce, but Admiral Rodney stripped them of their riches and deported them to other islands.

Today divers marvel at the isle's dive sites. Dutch warehouses that have sunk into the sea over the past several hundred years are now underwater ruins. They serve as day-care centers for abundant schools of juvenile fish. Stingrays, eels, turtles, and barracudas live in the undersea Caribbean neighborhood where giant pillar coral, huge yellow sea fans, and reef fingers abound. There are no shortage of wrecks, old cannons and modern ships-- like the cable-laying Charles L. Brown -- to explore either.

Combing the Atlantic shoreline in search of blue beads is a favorite pastime. Legend has it that 30 of these 17th-century blue baubles, found only on Statia, were used to purchase Manhattan. They were also currency for rum, slaves, tobacco, and cotton. The chance of finding one of these blue balls is slim --unless you visit the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum.

Another popular terra firma activity is the long and windy climb to the Quill's perfectly formed crater. The trail to the top of the 1,968-foot extinct volcano is bordered by wild orchids, ferns, elephant ears and various other kinds of flowers. One might even spot an iguana delicatissma, a long, greenish-gray spiny lizard. Contact the Statia Marine Park for a permit or a private guide.

Statia makes a fine day trip from St. Maarten. No matter how much time you spend on the island, locals will wave or beep at you in recognition. You never feel like a stranger.

Source: VacationAccess

Freunde von Statia: TOURISMUS BEWUSSTSEIN AUSSTELLUNG

2007-11-28T17:28:00.000-03:00

Das Bethaus Methodistische Schule hat seine Ausstellung am Reisebüro von Statia am Dienstag vollendet. Die Ausstellung wurde von Schülern von den Grundschulen auf Statia und durch die Allgemeinheit besucht. Die Ausstellung war der Höhepunkt von einem Tourismusbewusstseinprojekt in dem die Bethaus Methodistische Schule, die Str. Eustatius Tourismus Entwicklung Grundlage und die Neuerungsbehörde hat in einem neuen Wagnis zusammengearbeitet, das sich auf Erhöhen des Tourismusbewusstseins unter Jungen konzentriert hat. Parteien werden das Projekt bewerten und werden mit Richtlinien für alle Grundschulen auf der Insel betreffend Tourismusbewusstseins erscheinen. Auf dieser Fotografie Lt. Gouverneur Hyden Gittens hört Schülern Richendly de Windt zu (hat verlassen) und Sjevon Bauholz von der Bethaus Methodistischer Schule, wenn sie zusätzliche Informationen über ihre spezifischen Aufgaben für das Tourismusbewusstseinprojekt geben. Erfährt die Ausstellung durch Klicken hier.

Ich fand Quellartikel ubersetzt zum Deutschen.

Source:Travel Filtered Blogspot

Officiele opening Johan Cruijf voetbalveld

2007-11-28T16:52:00.000-03:00

Maandag 26 november 2007 kwam Johan Cruijff speciaal naar Statia om het nieuwe jeugd voetbalveld, geschonken door de Johan Cruijff Foundation, officeel te openen. De regen kwam met bakken uit de hemel, maar gelukkig klaarde het op en werd het een groot succes. De basisscholen speelden een toernooi en als afsluiting een wedstrijdje tussen de oudere jeugd en Johan met leden van de foundation (stichting). Wij verkochten drankjes en hapjes om bij te dragen aan de kosten voor de tickets voor het jeugdvoetbalteam (6 t/m 9 jaar), die in december naar Saba gaat om daar een toernooi te spelen. Het was een heel geslaagde middag!

Author:Ria

2007-11-26T13:30:00.000-03:00

One of the many images posted by Peter Casier. Click here for more photographs.

STATIA- The PLACE to be!

2007-11-26T12:57:00.000-03:00

This is a very nice island in the Caribbean. If you love history here is your place to be. This island is really the golden rock of the Caribbean.

Streetz (The Netherlands).Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum

2007-11-26T12:52:00.000-03:00

Photographs by Milton. More.....

STATIA VOLCANO- VERY JAMES BOND

2007-11-26T12:28:00.000-03:00

Click here for more photographs of Statia by Colin Houston.

Freunde von Statia: UND DER PREIS GEHT.........

2007-11-26T11:20:00.000-03:00

Kellnerin des Jahres: Vinette Campbell (Blaues Korn)
Gaststätte des Jahres: Blaues Korn
Hotel des Jahres: Altes Gin-Haus
Taxi-Service des Jahres: Schupo Berkel
Reisebüro des Jahres: Regenbogen-Spielraum
Tour-Führer des Jahres: Schupo Berkel
Tauchen-Geschäft des Jahres: Scubaqua
Lebenszeit-Ausführung Preis: Elizabeth Maria Deliën (Inhaber Mazinga Schenkungssteuer)

Möchten mehr sehen?

Ich fand Quellartikel ubersetzt zum Deutschen.

Source: Travel Systems Blogspot.

St. Eustatius: Wat een prachtig gezicht!

2007-11-26T11:02:00.000-03:00

Gistermiddag nadat alles was uitgepakt en een flesje water hebben gedronken zijn wij gaan snorkelen. Vanuit het hotel kan je zo de Caribische zee in. Prachtige onderwater wereld. Veel oude ruine en veel gekleurde hele mooie vissen. Het leek wel een aquarium. Tussen de rotsen in speloken zaten de scholen. Als je je met de golven liet mee deinen bleven de vissen direct onder je zwemmen. Prachtig gezicht.

Source: Harry Heesen. Click here for more.Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum.

Freunde von STATIA: Johannes Methodist Grundschule erhält Drucker aus Tourismusorganisation

2007-11-26T10:19:00.000-03:00

Kommissar für Tourismus, Herrn Julian Woodley, heute eines Druckers für die Bethel Methodist School.Dieses Geschenk der STDF wird genutzt von der Schule in den nächsten Projekten, die auch das Bewusstsein Tourismus / Bildung Handeln St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation und der Bethel Methodist Schule erfolgreich abgeschlossen Tourismus Sensibilisierung / Bildung Pilotprojekt, in dem kürzlich von Jugendlichen Der Schule ausgesetzt waren, um die verschiedenen Arten des Tourismus auf der Insel.Das Projekt gipfelte in einer Ausstellung im Tourismusbüro, wurde von Schülern der Grundschulen auf der Insel, Eltern und viele others.Commissioner Julian Woodley und seine Executive Assistant Koos Sneek präsentiert das Geschenk für Schüler - Nag chollia Courtar und Rosalie Simmons in der Eine besondere Sitzung, wobei andere Schüler und Principal Ellis Woodley waren anwesend.

Source: Travel Number One Blogspot. Click here for more

FREUNDE VON STATIA: Adresse Durch Karen Ford-Ford-Warner - Welttourismus-Tag Spricht Abendessen Zu

2007-11-26T10:03:00.000-03:00

Oranjestad, Str. Eustatius - September 27., 2007

Es ist mein großes Vergnügen und Privileg, mit Ihnen in Statia während Ihrer ersten Feier von Tourismus Weekand zu sein, zum zu Sie bei dieser historischen Gelegenheit zu sprechen - Ihr erster Welttourismus-Tag spricht Abendessen zu.

Ich möchte meinem lieben Freund, Dame Alida Francis und der Str. Eustatius Tourismus-Entwicklung Grundlage für die freundliche Einladung danken, die auf mich zur Rückkehr zu Statia verlängert wird, denn ich war hier einmal vorher 1999, als ich mit der karibischen Tourismus-Organisation arbeitete. Wie vor, hat die Gastfreundschaft überwältigt. Vielen Dank aller!

Heute hatte besuchte ich das Vergnügen des Reisens der Teile der Insel und mit Nicole Esteban und ihre Mannschaft an STENAPA und, die um die botanischen Gärten, mit meinem enthusiastischen und festgelegten Führer, Carlton Von Putten gezeigt worden sein würde. Ich bin also beeindruckt mit dem Fortschritt, der seit meinem letzten Besuch [ 1999 ] und mit der reichen Geschichte, der Kultur, der Flora und der Fauna gebildet worden ist, die grenzenlose Gelegenheiten für die Entwicklung Ihrer Tourismusindustrie und Ihrer Nation anbieten.

Source:Community Travel Blogspot

PRINTER FOR BETHEL METHODIST SCHOOL

2007-10-16T17:45:00.001-03:00

L-R: Nag-chollia Courtar, Koos Sneek, Commissioner Julian Woodley
and Rosalie Simmons

The President of the St.Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation (STDF), Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Julian Woodley, today presented a printer/copier/scan machine to the Bethel Methodist School. This gift from the STDF will be utilised by the school in upcoming projects that will also include tourism awareness/education activities.The St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation and the Bethel Methodist School successfully completed a tourism awareness/education pilot project recently in which youngsters of the school were exposed to the different types of tourism on the island. The project culminated in an exhibition at the tourist office which was attended by pupils of the elementary schools on the island, parents and many others. Commissioner Julian Woodley and his Executive Assistant Koos Sneek presented the gift to pupils Nag-chollia Courtar and Rosalie Simmons in a special meeting whereby other pupils and Principal Ellis Woodley were present. They expressed their sincerest thanks and appreciation for the contribution made by the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation.

Address By Karen Ford-Warner - World Tourism Day Awards Dinner

2007-10-09T13:30:00.000-04:00

Oranjestad, St. Eustatius - 27th September, 2007

It is my great pleasure and privilege to be with you in Statia during your first celebration of Tourism Weekand to address you on this historic occasion - your first World Tourism Day Awards Dinner.

I wish to thank my dear friend, Lady Alida Francis and the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation for the kind invitation extended to me to return to Statia, for I was here once before in 1999 when I worked with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. As before, the hospitality has been overwhelming. Thank you all very much!

Today, I had the pleasure of touring parts of the island, visiting with Nicole Esteban and her team at STENAPA and being shown around the Botanical Gardens,with my enthusiastic and committed guide, Carlton Von Putten. I am so impressed with the progress that has been made since my last visit [in 1999] and with the rich history, culture, flora and fauna that offer limitless opportunities for the development of your tourism industry and your nation. Click here for more......

STATIA- MOOIE UITZICHTEN!

2007-10-08T10:03:00.001-04:00

Ik ben helemaal verbaasd over de uitzichten, over de natuur en over het behoud van de cultuur!

Anne (Deventer- Nederland). Photograph by Jerry R. A-Kum

2007-10-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

Pupils of the SDA and Golden Rock primary schools are seen here posing in front of the Simon Doncker Museum. The pupils visited the museum as part of Statia Tourism Week when youngsters were exposed to the several components of tourism in St. Eustatius.

TOURISM AWARENESS EXHIBITION

2007-10-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

The Bethel Methodist School completed its exhibition at Statia's Tourist Office on Tuesday. The exhibition was attended by pupils of the elementary schools on Statia and by the general public. The exhibition was the highlight of a tourism awareness project in which the Bethel Methodist School, the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation and the Innovations Bureau worked together in a new venture which focused on enhancing the tourism awareness among youngsters. Parties will evaluate the project and come up with guidelines for all primary schools on the island regarding tourism awareness. On this photograph Lt. Governor Hyden Gittens listens to pupils Richendly de Windt (left) and Sjevon Timber of the Bethel Methodist School when they give additional information about their specific tasks for the tourism awareness project.Experience the exhibition by clicking here.

"THE SCUBAQUA TEAM IS VERY PROUD"

2007-10-01T13:06:00.001-04:00

The Scubaqua Dive Center posted the following information on its website:
Scubaqua Dive Center has won the award of the dive shop of the year 2007 in St. Eustatius during the St. Eustatius Tourism Week taking place end of September.The Scubaqua team is very proud of this award and will still improve its services to keep it !

A l'occasion de la semaine consacrée au tourisme à St-Eustache fin septembre, Scubaqua Dive Center a été élu meilleur centre de plongée 2007 ! L'équipe de Scubaqua est très fière de cette reconnaissance et espère encore améliorer ses services pour accueillir au mieux ses clients !

Click here for more.....

2007-10-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

Winners of the STDF 2007 Awards will be using award logos provided by the St. Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation for marketing and promotional purposes. Here you see the logo for Dive Shop of the Year. The logos for other categories are similar.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO.........

2007-09-28T08:22:00.000-04:00

Waitress of the Year: Vinette Campbell (Blue Bead)
Other nominees:Otencia Busby (Old Gin House),Elgica Harrigan (Intermezzo).

Restaurant of the Year: Blue Bead
Other nominees:Original Fruit Tree,Old Gin House.

Hotel of the Year: Old Gin House
Other nominees:Country Inn,Statia Lodge.

Taxi Service of the Year: Darlington Berkel
Other nominees:Wade Rivers,Wendy Hodge.

Travel Agency of the Year: Rainbow Travel
Other nominees:Killy Killy Travel,JIF Travel.

Tour Guide of the Year: Darlington Berkel
Other nominees:Josser Daniel,Gay Soetekouw.

Dive Shop of the Year: Scubaqua
Other nominees:Golden Rock Dive Center,
Dive Statia.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Elizabeth Maria Deliën (owner Mazinga Gift Shop)

Want to see more? Simply click here!

THE FUN GOES ON!!!

2007-09-26T12:22:00.000-04:00

Curious what this is about? Click here and you will see hospitality students of the Gwendolyn van Putten School when they visited the FDR Airport, the Fire Department, Golden Era Hotel and Old Gin House as part of Statia's Tourism Week.

STATIA TOURISM WEEK- continued

2007-09-25T15:19:00.000-04:00

This child of the Golden Rock School is seen here while she was taking notes during her field trip to the Old Gin House. Youngsters of the primary schools in St. Eustatius completed day 2 of Statia's Tourism Week today September 25. It was a very learning experience not only for the children but also for us, some teachers noted. Click here to see how excited the children were today!