Incentive - June 2008 - (Page 70)

TRAVEL The Cook Islands PAGE 72 Bermuda Bliss PAGE 74 The highest levels of luxury and hospitality can be found in this hidden treasure of the South Pacific A rum swizzle and a swim with the dolphins are just a couple of options for visitors to this exotic getaway Cruises Come Back to Colombia The Latin American destination emerges as a newly safe bet for incentive travelers By Jeanie Casison C olombia continues to capture the attention of the major cruise lines, with many prominently featuring the diverse Latin America destination as part of their Caribbean itineraries. Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are just a few of the companies that are finding their way to such exciting ports of call as Cartagena de Indias, Santa Marta and San Andrés. The arrival of cruises is a positive indicator that tourism is finally returning to Colombia after years of the country battling negative perceptions around the world. Credit the impressive travel turnaround to Colombia President Álvaro Uribe’s strong stance on safety and the marketing efforts of Proexport, the Bogotabased organization charged with promoting nontraditional exports, international tourism and foreign investment in the country. Cruises, virtually absent just a few years ago, have certainly made a comeback. According to the latest Proexport figures, Colombia welcomed 131 cruises with 200,854 passengers and 92,641 crew members from August 17, 2007 through May 19, 2008—generating an economic impact of $16 million. The number of cruise passengers is expected to increase to 271,000 this next cruise season. “There are many reasons for the increase in interest in Colombia as a cruise destination. But the primary reason is that the country is more secure,” says Nubia Stella Martínez, tourism vice president for Proexport. Martinez also says that attracting more incentive travel programs will be an important focus of Proexport in the near future. This November, Colombia will host incentive travel buyers during the Meetings and Incentive Trade Market in Cartagena de Indias. “Colombia offers an exotic destination for incentive trips,” Martínez says. “You can spend seven days in Colombia and have experiences that you wouldn’t have in a lot of other countries.” Send comments to feedback@incentivemag.com Sea Stats Camper & Nicholsons Unveil The (Super) Yachting Index On May 13, Camper & Nicholsons International unveiled The (Super) Yachting Index at the historic New York Yacht Club in Manhattan. The report includes these facts on yacht chartering in 2007: Portion of yachts available for charter by size: 24m-29m: 27 percent 30m-50m: 60 percent 50m+: 13 percent Average rate for chartered yacht in 2007: $125,000/week Number of yachts: 3,800 Yachts over 24m available for charter: 830 By far the most popular destination for chartered cruises in 2007 was the Mediterranean basin, split between the West Mediterranean (56 percent of all charter destinations) and the East Mediterranean (14 percent). The Caribbean was the second most popular, with 15 percent, followed by Florida with 7 percent and New England with 2 percent. —Alex Palmer 70 | Incentive | June 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - June 2008

Incentive - June 2008 Contents Editor’s Note In The News Cover Story: Seventh Annual Industry Roundtable Incentive Interview Case Study Soft Incentives Empowerment and Engagement The Incentive Career Incentive Primer Travel News: Where To Go and What To Do The Cook Islands Field Report: Bermuda Potentials: Here and Now 50 Top Motivators: The Best of the Best Electronics: High-end Audio Equipment Gift Cards: Should One Be Enough? Advertiser Index Off The Cuff

Incentive - June 2008

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