Visitstmaarten.com Blog

St. Maarten will be represented at this year’s HISWA at water, Europe’s largest open air boat show.  St. Maarten’s Tourist Bureau in the Netherlands will be the first and only tourist office at this major event.

This year the boat show will take place at the Marina Seaport in IJmuiden from August 31st to September 5th. During his fair with sailing boats, yachts, cutters and related maritime basics, St. Maarten will present itself as the nautical destination in the Caribbean.” In a press release issued by St. Maarten’s Tourist Bureau, St. Maarten was called “the epic centre for the water sports tourist in the region.”

The release mentioned the annual Heineken Regatta, the largest regatta in the Caribbean. To attract more visitors and get the focus on St. Maarten, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau has made available a prize: HISWA at water 2010 visitors who book their ticket online have a chance at winning an all-inclusive, nine-day trip to St. Maarten.

The prize, which will be raffled among those who give the correct answer to the question posed, includes seven nights on board of the two-master schooner Kairós. At the fair, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau will undoubtedly promote its new, rebranded slogan “Aangenaam St.Maarten.

“ Article taken from The Daily Herald”

For more information go to our website www.visitstmaarten.com

As part of its 25th anniversary, Motiance Dance School presents a musical evening of theatre, dance, drama and song – a show worth supporting and not to be missed.

During the long summer school break, Motiance Dance School held workshops for those who love dance and theatre.

St. Maarten students were very fortunate to have trained with dance and theatre groups from The USA and the Netherlands. During the first three week session, students trained with dancers from the Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn.

The students – ranging from children ages 3 to 12; youth ages 12 to 15; and the adult group – will bring fun and exciting dance, drama, song and movement to the stage, delighting the audience with the high standard learnt from their teachers.

Some of the numbers the adults and youth group will be performing will be taken from Mama Mia, Rent and Chicago. The audience is advised that after the intermission, in the second half of the show some of the numbers contain explicit language. Parental discretion advised.

The show will be staged at the Philipsburg cultural and community centre on Saturday, August 14, at 7:00pm sharp. Admission is US$15. Tickets are available at Van Dorp, Miguel’s Salon, Belair Health and Fitness Centre, Family Dental Clinic and Motiance Dance School.

“Excerpts from this article taken from the Daily Herald”

Go to our website www.visiststmaarten.com for more information

The Caribbean Cinemas Megaplex is currently showing a new commercial entitled “Life is a Journey” by insurance company Ennia, a filmed succession of high quality local shots that illustrate a life journey.

According to Ennia, the film is not a loud cry that sings the praises of a certain product but an alluring movie that portrays the authenticity of life on St. Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire.
“Actually we kept the film very simple and we let the pictures speak for themselves with an Ennia proposal at the end,” said Patrick Thissen, Marketing Manager for Ennia.

“This commercial is about the emotional brand value of Ennia. By presenting a universally identifiable sentiment, we charge the Ennia brand.

“What it’s about is that when a person chooses an Ennia product, they also experience a certain feeling with it. The film is produced in such a way that each picture is a stage in life, and for all those stages Ennia offers assurance. We now use these pictures in our house style such as our advertising and website,” he said.

The pictures can also be seen in the Ennia building on W.J.A. Nisbeth Road. We are very proud of the end result. The development has taken a long time because we set high standards to the concept and execution. The commercial has been produced locally in its entirety with local extras.

“Excerpts taken from the Daily Herald”

Go to our website www.visitstmaarten.com and find more information

St. Maarten Nature Foundation was able to capture another Lionfish with the assistance of Michael of Seatrek. Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets said the action plan being executed for the capturing of these poisonous fish appeared to be working. He said the foundation had the full cooperation of the local dive shops and there were no new reports of sighting for the moment, but more were expected.

Moreover, Bervoets noted that while Lionfish were venomous, they were edible once prepared following a recipe. The foundation has been introducing the fish and its recipe to various local restaurants to add to their menus. The foundation is encouraging fishermen and other individuals who come cross Lionfish to follow suit and contribute them to restaurants. The Lionfish poses a threat because other species in the Caribbean do not recognize it as a predator, so it eats out juvenile fish.

“Excerpts from this article taken from the Daily Herald”

For more information go to our website www.visitstmaarten.com

t. Maarten Pride Foundation and local coordinator of the International Coastal Cleanup Jadira Veen presented the 2010 International Coastal Cleanup report to Acting Lt. Governor Reynold Groeneveldt this week.

The report “Trash Travels”: from our hands to the sea, around the globe and through time” highlights” the trash data collected every year in September. The report is a comprehensive data report on each category of trash collected. It can be used by governments to introduce anti-litter programmes and sensitising the population on recycling.

This year, the International Coastal Cleanup will celebrate its 25th anniversary and in commemoration the worldwide coastal cleanup will take place on September 25.

Hundreds of local volunteers are expected to descend on Mullet Bay Beach on September 25, from 7:00 to 10:00am as part of the cleanup on St. Maarten. Underwater cleanups will be carried out with the dive industry under the guidance of Manager of Nature Foundation Tadzio Bervoets.  Half a million volunteers in 108 countries including St. Maarten picked up trash from the world’s coastal waterways and below the ocean surface in 2009.

The International Coastal Cleanup has volunteers from youth groups, service clubs, schools, St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), government agencies, animal and environmental activists and concerned citizens.

“Article taken from the Daily Herald”

Go to our website www.visitstmaarten.com for more information and details.