Philipsburg- The just-concluded 29th Annual St. Maarten/St. Martin Heineken Regatta was more than "serious fun" for some: it also served as the entrée for a group of journalists drawn from The Netherlands and Brazil to feast on the rich culture and heritage of St. Maarten.According to Dutch journalist, Ellen Vogel, visiting the island for the first time, the regatta was "only a very small part" of her assignment here. Although she writes for a sailing magazine - Yacht Vision - with a circulation of some 26,000, she is more interested in telling a more compelling story about the island "from a different angle".
A visit to the St. Maarten Museum may have provided her with the story she is looking for, as well as the "different angle". She was very impressed by the dedication, commitment and passion with which the Museum director, Elsje Wilson, goes about her work, while she finds the island's history quite fascinating.
Bibi Schobbers writes for a religious magazine, Zeilen - and like Ellen Vogel, sees the regatta as an excuse to explore the realities of St. Maarten. Accompanied by photographer Guido Peter Briem, Bibi says she is so impressed by what she has seen so far that she would gladly move her family here.
"This is so different from what we hear about St. Maarten in Holland," she said, stressing that she came without any particular expectations, but with "an open mind".
Sunday morning worship at Praise Tabernacle Church in Colebay was for her, "very inspiring," while her photographer Guido rated it "the highlight of our stay here so far."
"There's hardly anything Dutch here," observed Bibi, after discovering that the Dutch language is not among the top three most commonly spoken language on the island.
The film crew from Brazil was busy capturing not only the exciting scenes from the regatta itself, but the breathtaking beauty of the island and its people as well. Cameraman Daniel took as many shots as he possibly could, including of the concerts. He was particularly struck by the high-energy performance of the Youth Wave band, which was the opening act for Carimi, and all the journalists were swept off their feet by the Wailers.
"It is totally incredible that you have so many thousands of people without any pushing and shoving," noted Ximena, the TV journalist/producer, who compared the atmosphere at the concerts with that of carnival in Sao Paolo.
Another Brazilian journalist, Antonio Carlos Alonso Vera Jr. who writes for Nautica Magazine, was equally thrilled by his experience on the island. "The food is fantastic, the people are very nice, and you have a very beautiful island: this is paradise, indeed," he said.
Regina LaBega, Director of Tourism, hosts of the journalists, expressed satisfaction at their experience of the island.
"I'm sure this will generate a very positive coverage for St. Maarten, especially in the Dutch market where the island seems to have been suffering from an image problem, and of course, in Brazil where we are intensifying efforts to increase our market share," Ms. LaBega commented.
"At a time when all the predictions point to a significant decline in world travel caused by the global financial and economic crisis, we can do with all the positive coverage we can get in markets such as Holland and Brazil where St. Maarten needs to become more visible," she said.
LaBega added: "These journalists can help to convey the truth about the beauty of our island and the genuine friendliness of our people, and in so doing, paint a more positive picture that will make more visitors choose St. Maarten as their vacation destination."
