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The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation hosts top-tier media and influencers post-Hurricane Dorian

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Nearly 20 Leading Journalists and Social Media Influencers Attend Familiarization Trips to Tell The Bahamas’ Open For Business Story

In the months following Hurricane Dorian, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (BMOTA) has mobilized and set up a steady stream of group and individual familiarization trips to continue telling the world that The Bahamas is “Open For Business.” From November 2019 into the New Year, top-tier media and social influencers are coming to The Islands Of The Bahamas to discover the country’s culture, cuisine and communities and help spread the message that most of the islands are welcoming visitors.

The trips will drive positive and educational coverage of the destination, in print, online and social media, during the critical travel-booking season.

“With more than 700 islands and cays, there is so much to discover in The Bahamas,” said Mrs. Joy Jibrilu, Director General at The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. “Hosting influential media and storytellers to deliver our ’Open For Business’ message in a way that resonates with their readers and followers is a key part of our multi-phased post-hurricane campaign. The coverage we receive from these visits will be crucial in inspiring travel to our country, speaking to all the important reasons why now is the time to visit.”

In November, the BMOTA hosted its first group press trip following Hurricane Dorian. Top-tier travel and lifestyle journalists, contributing to Delta Sky, the Daily Beast, TravelPulse, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler and others, visited Nassau Paradise Island, Eleuthera and Harbour Island to discover the ease of island hopping in The Bahamas and get a first-hand account of the Bahamian people’s resilience despite the devastating hurricane season. Stories will not only highlight BMOTA’s “Open For Business” messaging, but will position the islands as must-visit travel destinations this season and beyond.

The BMOTA also hosted South Florida travel and lifestyle influencer, The Style Bungalow, in Harbour Island, in November. She experienced the quiet island lifestyle while also visiting some of the world’s most Instagram-worthy spots, including The Pink Sands Beach, the pastel-hued homes, Bahama House and much more. The Style Bungalow shared that The Bahamas is “Open For Business” with her 211K+ Instagram followers and highlighted the quick flight from Florida as another reason why everyone, including Floridians, should visit.

The Ministry is working diligently to keep this momentum of top-tier media and influencers visiting The Bahamas alive. Aligning with the Hero World Challenge in December, the BMTOA will be hosting five quality sports, travel and lifestyle media to promote Nassau and Exuma as premier golf destinations. Journalists from Forbes, GOLF.com, BroBible and GOLF Monthly will experience top golf courses in Nassau, including Royal Blue Golf Course at Baha Mar, Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis and Exuma’s Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course.

The Ministry’s visiting journalist program continues to be an unqualified success. Through the People-To-People Experience, visiting journalists are able to connect with the Bahamian people and get an experience like no other while sharing meals and conversations. An additional slate of individual trips took place on a rolling basis. Reporters with The Washington Post and Jamaque Paradis Magazine visited in the past two months while travel influencer, Get Lost With Jackie, a journalist from The Zoe Report and two of The Boston Globe writers are scheduled to come early in 2020 to cover an array of topics from Junkanoo to fly-fishing.

ABOUT THE BAHAMAS

With over 700 islands and cays, and 15 of the 16 unique island destinations currently open for business, The Bahamas lies just 55 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. The Islands Of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, boating and thousands of miles of the earth’s most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram to see why It’s Better in The Bahamas.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Anita Johnson-Patty

General Manager, Global Communications

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation

[email protected] 

Weber Shandwick

Public Relations

[email protected]

Puerto Rico Tourism: Out with the old, in with the new

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“Since our inception last July, we hit the ground running to accelerate the tourism economy,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “This brand campaign follows a strong publicity effort that set up Puerto Rico as the top place to visit in 2019 and a recently revamped website, DiscoverPuertoRico.com.

“The creative highlights our two strongest assets – our culture and our people – and will help us strengthen traveler’s familiarity with what makes our Island one-of-a-kind.”  The campaign officially launches today across digital channels via digital banners, social, pre-roll and a follow-up TV spot that will launch in coming weeks in key markets. Additional marketing support is expected throughout the rest of 2019, to attract visitors to the Island during the summer travel season.”

Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s newly-established Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), announced today the rollout of Puerto Rico’s brand campaign called “Have We Met Yet?” which draws inspiration from Puerto Rico’s cultural and natural offerings and at its essence, focuses on the hospitable and welcoming nature of its people. By posing the question “Have We Met Yet?” the creative re-introduces the Island to the world and brings to life the exotic yet familiar essence of Puerto Rico. As the U.S. mainland’s “neighbor to the south,” the new campaign showcases through Puerto Rico’s iconic doors how the Island welcomes visitors with open arms.

Following extensive research that showed that Puerto Rico’s brand identity was neutral in the minds of travelers, this new campaign is this next phase of Discover Puerto Rico’s brand repositioning process, enabling the Island to fully capitalize on its rich tourism product offerings and emerge as a leading Caribbean destination. The creative repositions the island as that neighbor that one dreams of – with the festive flair, the ocean view, the incredible art collection, the delicious food. Puerto Rico is the neighbor you’ll laugh with, celebrate with, and maybe even fall in love with.

“Puerto Rico’s people, its rich culture and unparalleled natural offerings, combined with the fact that it’s a U.S. territory and easily accessible, were key factors that led to this creative. We’re excited to debut this brand campaign as it opens the door, literally, to endless possibilities that showcase the spirit of the Puerto Rican people and everything the Island has to offer,” said Leah Chandler, CMO of Discover Puerto Rico.

Travelers exposed to the new brand campaign will be immediately drawn by the colorful vibrant doors and stunning imagery found throughout the Island. The creative highlights many aspects that make Puerto Rico a unique destination—ranging from its people, its cuisine, its festive spirit, its natural attractions, and much more.

“The campaign invites travelers to visit Puerto Rico and meet us, the neighbor that you can’t live without,” said Chandler. “Puerto Rico was named the #1 Place to Visit in 2019 by the New York Times and has topped over 20 other notable lists of places to visit this year,” she added. “We want to send a message to all travelers that this is THE year to visit Puerto Rico. The entire island is eager to welcome them.”

The creative was ideated and produced by Beautiful Destinations, with support from local production crews who traveled throughout the Island to capture the beautiful scenery, thousands of colorful doors, and welcoming faces of the Puerto Rican people.

To view the “Have We Met Yet?” creative online, visit YouTube.com/DiscoverPuertoRico and be on the lookout for additional campaign creative coming soon.

Travel News | eTurboNews

New culinary experiences launched in Victoria Falls

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Earlier this year Pure Africa Destination Management announced its latest restaurant management partnership with Afro-Chic destination venue Zambezi House Restaurant, which was voted as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Restaurants in the World’ by Condé Nast Traveller.

The team at Pure Africa have since then been busy with the reimagination of designing culinary journeys in Victoria Falls for the menu relaunch of Zambezi House, which has taken much of its inspiration from the meandering journey of the venue’s key feature, the Zambezi River.

Pure Africa recently appointed head chef Mike van Rooyen for the development of the latest tasting menu at Zambezi House, forming part of the greater Pure Africa culinary art initiatives aiming to raise the benchmark for food tourism in Victoria Falls.

Our passion is rooted in travel, innovation, design, culinary art and impact, which form our company’s philosophy in looking to awaken this new African spirit together with local talent, international culinary techniques served with the key ingredient, which is warm Zimbabwean hospitality.

“Seasonal ingredients and traditional dishes reimagined, prepared with local knowledge, global culinary techniques and eventually served with the key ingredient, which is warm Zimbabwean hospitality.”

Pure Africa has coincided the latest Zambezi House menu offering, launching in early May 2019 with full day culinary packages for those travellers looking to experience the local food scene in Victoria Falls;

Pure Africa Culinary Journeys in Victoria Falls:

Historic Tram & Bridge Tour + Zambezi House Dinne

What to expect:

A guided tram tour of Victoria Falls Bridge paired up with freshly baked gourmet sandwiches to start, followed by a craft gin pop-up bar and gourmet snack table overlooking the spray of the Falls from the Zambian border and ending off with a three-course dinner tasting menu to be enjoyed later that evening at Zambezi House Restaurant.

Culinary Features:

Artisanal Sandwiches, Pimm’s Train Station Bar, Craft Gin & Tonic Pop Up Bar, Gourmet Scenic Snacks and a three-course Zambezi House dinner experience.

Luxury Deck Sunset River Cruise + Zambezi  House Dinner

What to expect:

A sunset river cruise down the Zambezi paired up with a relaxing three-course dinner experience perched on the edge of the river.

Culinary Features:

Gourmet sunset tasting boards, craft selection of premium beverages onboard the sunset river cruise followed by a three-course Zambezi House tasting menu prepared by head chef Mike Viljoen.

For more information about Pure Africa Destination Management and their latest culinary journeys please email or visit the Pure Africa Destination Management website.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Moscow selected to host annual GSMA Mobile 360 Series event

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Eurasia conference, a regional event held as part of the activities of GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association), will be held in Moscow, October 8-9 2019.

The decision to host the event in Moscow was adopted as a result of an active work of the Russian Convention Bureau which provided the proposal for venues, and organized an inspection visit for representatives of the international association.

The event will be held in Moscow for the second time, following the successful launch in 2018 which gathered over 600 attendees from 21 countries and 52% were Director-level and above.

In 2019, the conference and exhibition will bring together over 600 policymakers, regulatory authorities, international organisations, Mobile Network Operators, mobile technology solution providers and broader ICT ecosystem players from Russia, the CIS region and the international market leaders in 5G technology. The event will be held at the Lotte Hotel Moscow.

Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, said: “The sphere of mobile and high technologies plays a key role in stimulating economic growth, attracting foreign investments and increasing global competitiveness through development of science and technology. Adding more industries to the list of events organized by the Russian Convention Bureau will not only facilitate the development of corresponding areas of the real economy sector but also help create the image of the country on the international arena as one of the most meaningful players on the market of the event industry.”

Alexey Kalachev, Director of the Russian Convention Bureau, said: “We use various tools of working with international associations as we work to attract various business events to Russia. We are ready to offer universal and customized solutions that will correspond to the needs and expectations of conference organizers of various scale in different industries.”

Travel News | eTurboNews