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40 Black Meetings & Tourism December 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com ST. MAARTEN STRENGTHENS U.S. SALES PRESENCE WITH LOUIS PETERS HEADING UP ITS NEW YORK OFFICE The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau continues to move full speed ahead with initiatives to capture the lucrative North American leisure travel market with the hiring of Louis Peters to take the helm of its New York City Office. This endeavor follows the hiring of the public relations and mar- keting firm, KTCpr, last summer and its soon-to-be launched new branding campaign and website. The New York Office serves as an infor- mation portal for travel agents and con- sumers looking for information about St. Maarten, including brochure fulfillment and representation at trade shows nation- wide. St. Maarten is truly a unique island in several ways. It is the smallest island in the world to be shared by two nations, the Netherlands and France, creating a European-influenced vibe with a Caribbean flair. St. Maarten is also the culinary capital of the Caribbean with an eclectic array of elegantly-perfected culi- nary fusion to keep "food lovers" return- ing each year. And with more than 300 restaurants, the island has tastes to satisfy every palate and pocketbook. Located at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles, the island's 36 square miles has 37 breathtaking beaches and is home to many historical and family-oriented attractions including the vastly abundant treasure of rare animal and plant species at the St. Maarten Zoological and Botanical Garden. "At a time when Caribbean destinations are marketing the value and importance of their respective Diaspora, I believe that representation of a native son of the island's tourism product in the New York City Office will add greater credibility to the island's efforts to revive and promote its exciting tourism based economy," Peters notes. "We are pleased to have Mr. Peters representing St. Maarten. His extensive knowledge of the destination cou- pled with his marketing experience and overall understand- ing of the industry at-large will provide a strong presence in our New York Office and a great asset to our tourism team," said Regina Labega, director of Tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. Peters was born on St. Martin, raised in New York City and returned to work on St. Maarten in various capacities to advance the island's tourism product as an officer of the Island Gem Enterprises Ltd. NV, the original developer of the Mullet Bay Resort. Following his tenure with Island Gem Enterprises, Peters became a member of the Mixed Commission of the Netherlands Antilles to evaluate the socio-economic sustainability of the Netherlands Antilles in its process of constitutional change. While serving as the representative of the Dutch Windward Islands on the Mixed Commission, Peters conducted various research works to defend the need for these smaller islands to have their own statutory Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Dutch Windward Islands was established on March 12, 1979 and Peters served as its first executive secretary. Since leaving the Dutch Windward Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Peters established his own company, Destination Promotions NV, to promote St. Maarten as a preferred regional tourist destination and he represented private sec- tors of the Netherlands Antilles at the Caribbean Central American Action (C/CAA) during the 1980s when the Caribbean Basin Initiative was the region's principal focus with the United States of America. Additionally, Peters worked with various private sector groups to improve their effective involvement in the island's tourism industry. No stranger to New York, Peters graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York where he received his BA in economics. For more information on St. Maarten please visit its web- site www.VacationStMaarten.com. Peters can be reached at (212) 953-2084. Louis Peters c O r n e r caribbean