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South Africa Reports Record Visitors from U.S. in 2011

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South Africa Reports Record Visitors from U.S. in 2011

(Dive Travel Business News - May 4, 2012) -- South African Tourism North America said 2011 was a record-breaking year of tourist arrivals from the U.S. following a breakthrough year with FIFA World Cup that made history in South Africa. With a year-on-year increase of 1.9 percent, representing 287,614 travelers from the U.S., and a total increase of 23.2 percent in the last two years during one of the toughest economic times is proof of the resiliency of the destination.

South African Tourism attributes positive and sustainable growth numbers to concerted efforts by partners in both trade and consumer marketing that always stressed value for money. Major investments in integrated marketing platforms in 2011 parlayed mass-level consumer awareness including media partnerships with the New York Times Travel Show, the Los Angeles Times Travel Show, National Geographic & Whole Foods experience, as well interactive social media programs.

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INNER SPACE: World's Largest Rebreather Event May 26-Jun 2, 2012

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INNER SPACE: World's Largest Rebreather Event May 26-Jun 2, 2012

(Dive Travel Business News - May 1, 2012) -- The world’s largest Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) diving event is once again coming to Grand Cayman  May 26 to June 2, 2012.  INNER SPACE is a dedicated week of Closed Circuit Rebreather Diving and CCR training, lectures, technology conference and more! It's an all inclusive week bringing together divers, Instructors, dive shops, manufacturers, training agencies and more.

The upcoming 9th INNER SPACE is hosted by Divetech at Cobalt Coast Dive Resort, 78 Closed Circuit Rebreatherers will partake in this eventful week, diving the deep walls and shallow reefs div  of Grand Cayman.  CCR divers from new recreational divers through deep trimix divers journey to Grand Cayman, diving at various depths based on their certification limits, from 60 to 400 feet on dives lasting for 3 hours. read more »

Cayman Islands' Endangered Nassau Grouper Recovery Efforts helped by The Mystery of the Grouper Moon.

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Cayman Islands' Endangered Nassau Grouper Recovery Efforts helped by The Mystery
(Dive Travel Business News - April 23, 2012) -- Recent scientific evidence shows that a ten-year effort to protect the spawning aggregation sites for the endangered Nassau Grouper has resulted in a growing and healthy population of the species on the reefs near Little Cayman‹a harbinger that the recovery of the species may spread throughout the Caribbean.

"After ten years the detective work is finally done," said an exuberant Dr. Guy Harvey, a Cayman resident and an ardent conservationist and internationally known marine wildlife artist.

Dr. Harvey, who has worked closely with research leaders REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), Oregon State University and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DOE) to bring about legislation to protect the species, continued: The work is finally done and science indicates the groupers need to have aggregation sites projected to help them survive. read more »

Dive Around Texas Challenge 2012

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(Dive Travel Business News - April 19, 2012) -- With more divers choosing to take dive vacatioins closer to home, Texas offers excellent alternative for Dive Travel "Staycations". Texas is blessed with over 30 different incredible dive spots including rivers, quarries, lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Dive Around Texas 2012 Challenge encourages divers to explore the region.  When divers sign up with a participating Texas Dive Retailer (over 35 Retailers in Texas) and start scuba diving in Texas they receive the chance to win prizes and awards based on the number of verified dives in their Logbook. read more »

Tiny Caribbean Dive Mecca to Showcase Topside & Underwater with Festival in August 2012.

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Utila to Showcase Topside & Underwater with Festival in August 2012.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 23, 2012) -- The first Utila Dive Festival, to be held August 18-25, 2012, is a week-long schedule of events above and below the water with diving, dancing, dining and discovering the tiny diving Mecca of Utila, one of The Bay Islands located in the Western Caribbean just South of Belize.

Underwater highlights include themed daily dives, and specialized diving activities held throughout the week including a photography competition, advanced buoyancy workshops, reef ecology and whale shark talks, tec and sidemount try dives including closed circuit rebreathers. Topside, there are social events, opening and closing beach parties,  Taste of Utila food fair, and prize giveaways. read more »

Island Dreams Marks 25th Anniversary

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Island Dreams Marks 25th Anniversary

(Dive Travel Business News - April 23, 2012) – Houston-based Island Dreams Travel marks its 25th year in business with sales, celebrations, an underwater photo contest and a great travel prize drawing. Founded in 1987, Island Dreams isa a wholesale and retail travel business specializing in scuba diving trips to exotic locations spanning the globe. The company’s award-winning web site, divetrip.com, is the longest-running scuba travel-specific site on the Internet. 

First launched in 1995, this web resource has grown to encompass a wealth of fascinating content and hundreds of unique underwater photographs. As a result, Divetrip.com provides an invaluable resource for web surfers interested in researching and comparing diving opportunities. read more »

Bolongo Bay Beach Resort offers Dive Discounts this Summer.

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Bolongo Bay Beach Resort offers Dive Discounts this Summer.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 24, 2012) -- A well-known dive hotel, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in the US Virgin Islands is offering a Stay and Dive package with a discount of 34% available for stays from May 1 – August 31, 2012 when diving conditions are ideal in the US Virgin Islands.

Bolongo Bay Beach Resort's Stay and Dive package includes: 

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Western Sumatra Quakes Produce Little Damage in Indonesia.

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(Dive Travel Business News - April 11, 2012) -- Communities and resorts located along the Indian Ocean Rim breathed a collective sigh of relief earlier on April 11 when tsunami alerts were called off after a pair of deep-sea earthquakes off the coast of Indonesia. Those earthquakes, which had magnitudes 8.6 and 8.2, respectively, produced only scattered small tsunamis, according to AccuWeather.com.

The earthquakes were centered off the northern end of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, about 120 miles from the epicenter of the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that killed some 230,000 people in the region, mostly in Sumatra, in 2004. When the quakes hit this time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre was activated and there were reports of panicked crowds in the region moving to higher ground. Those fears also were fueled by the March 2011 Japan quake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe. read more »

Curacao offers FAM Rates for Travel Professionals

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Curacao offers FAM Rates for Travel Professionals

(Dive Travel Business News - April 12, 2012) -- The Curacao Tourist Board is partnering with American Airlines, Insel Air, Dutch Antilles Express and selected island hotels to offer travel agents a variety of familiarization packages featuring hotel stays starting at $50 and 50 percent discounts off roundtrip airfare through June 2012. The packages feature 50 percent off roundtrip flights with American Airlines from anywhere in the continental U.S. or Canada; roundtrip Insel Air flights from Charlotte, N.C., for $180; and 50 percent off roundtrip flights aboard Dutch Antilles Express.

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Popular Curacao NOW! Promotion Returns

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Popular Curacao NOW! Promotion Returns

(Dive Travel Business News - April 4, 2012) -- Curaçao NOW! is back by popular demand for the fourth year running, allowing consumers to extend the savings to their friends and travel at a price they can both afford.  A Curaçao NOW package to the Caribbean island of Curaçao for a diver and a loved one includes a $200 instant credit on the booking, free dive, and a host of additional freebies and discounts. 

Travelers hoping to take advantage of Curaçao’s fourth consecutive Curaçao NOW package savings should travel April 14 through June 16, 2012. The first 1,000 bookings will receive this special offer, which includes following:

  •    $200 instant credit per double occupancy booking*
  •    5th night FREE*
  •    FREE dive & Special discounts*

*Terms & conditions apply, based on double occupancy and available with participating hotels and travel partners only. read more »