Kralendijk – Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) was present at this year’s DEMA show. TCB was represented by Emilayla Coffi, Marketing Assistant of TCB. The Show was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Over the course of the four-day event, thousands of Show attendees including dive industry professionals and members of the media visited the TCB Booth in the Bonaire Pavilion. This, to either familiarize themselves with the destination or to see old friends to discuss plans and programs slated for 2019 travel.

Representatives were on-site to assist with potential dive retailers, address questions and concerns and distribute promotional materials.

The Bonaire Pavilion was comprised of representatives from AB Dive, Bellafonte Bonaire, BONHATA, Buddy Dive Resort, Budget Rent A Car, Captain Don’s Habitat, Courtyard Marriott Bonaire, Deep Sea Bonaire, Delfins Beach Resort, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, Dive Friends Bonaire, Eden Beach Resort, Island Express, Plaza Beach Resort Bonaire, QVillas, Sand Dollar Condominiums, STINAPA, and VIP Diving. There was also a Blue destination booth where our Miss Tourism Bonaire 2018 was giving information about our sustainable practices and how we synergize nature and culture with our economy.

During the Show, STINAPA conducted a presentation for attendees which was given by Assistant to the Marine Park Manager; Diana Sint Jago and Chief Ranger; Edwin Domacasse. They presented an overview of the organization, its mission and its programs and details about the Bonaire National Marine Park. They also discussed the importance of conservation and how Bonaire has evolved as a leader of conservation and preservation in not only the Caribbean, but throughout the world.

Blue Destination contest

The Bonaire Pavilion also launched their Blue Destination contest where visitors were required to take a picture with one of the two models including our Miss Tourism Bonaire; Carolin Coffi and Angelo Domacasse. They were posing in their Bonairean folkloric outfits and contestants could upload their photos to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #BonaireBlueDestination. Visitors who entered the contest got the opportunity to win different prizes including night stays, car rentals, dive packages and even a ticket to Bonaire with American Airlines.

The highlight of the Show for the Pavilion was when representatives from Scuba Diving Magazine presented Bonaire with a plaque for the island’s 2019 Scuba Diving Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards.

The annual DEMA Show is the largest trade-only event in the world for companies doing business in scuba diving, ocean water sports and adventure/dive travel industries. It attracts hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of dive and travel industry professionals from around the world.

In addition to providing an arena in which to conduct business and network, DEMA Show offers participants the most extensive education curriculum in the industry. It includes DEMA-Sponsored Seminars and Exhibitor-Sponsored Seminars from participating manufacturers, travel destinations and dive certification organizations. DEMA Show is produced by DEMA, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association.