Up, Up and Away....in My Beautiful Balloon!

A lot is going on in the world of tourism for this week’s show. Want to get “up in the world”?  We do, so this week we will meet Deborah Mientus and Chris Sommers, owners of High On You Balloon Team, which is based in Port St. Lucie, FL and Allentown, PA. I know that many of us are in awe of this unique sport and adventure.  Floating high above the hustle and bustle of everyday life at the whim of the wind. Talkin’ Tourism loves uncovering the usual and not-so-usual things to do, places to go and people to meet.  Listen in if you want to learn more about this Treasure Coast adventure.

The sailfishing has been fabulous but, a Treasure Coast visiting fisherman has a great fish story. We have the details on a 510 pound swordfish that was recently caught in Treasure Coast waters.

The Department of Transportation recently put a new policy in place that will now eliminate all of those “hidden charges”.  Lean what protections this policy will provide air passengers. For those who travel on the ground, whether the price of gas will top $4.00 per gallon this summer is probably on your mind. We'll have the expert’s opinion for you.

AAA Auto Club South representatives Gary Smith and Lisa Higgins will be in the studio to share information about AAA's upcoming Annual Cruise & Tour Show slated for February 2 and the Sleuths Mystery Dinner Day Trip to Orlando coming up February 28. Listen in for all the details on these two fun events and more.

In addition to the topics and guests above, your hosts Gary and Robin will also touch upon some of the following:

• Is there a new oceanfront hotel coming to Martin County?  
• Is the St. Lucie Inlet dredge project ready to roll?  
• Where can you keep your boat in the Bahamas for FREE for 5 days and what’s the catch?

All this and more on today's show, coming to you live on WPSL 1590 AM or www.wpsltv.com at 10:05 a.m.! Hope you can join us, and the coffee pot is always on!

A schooner named "Lily"

Lily Capt. Fred Newhart, First Mate Jamie Miscoski
and Talkin' Tourism show host Gary Guertin.

One of the greatest benefits of hosting a tourism centric radio show each week is the opportunity to meet people who are passionate about what they do. Such was the case this week with our guests Capt. Fred Newhart and his first mate Jamie Miscoski, owners and operators of Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures. Lily, a 60 foot restored schooner, was the last of her kind built to carry commercial cargo.

Trading her cargo, Lily now carries guests on sailing tours along the St. Lucie River. Capt. Fred and First Mate Jamie were incredibly enthusiastic about their adventure, now in its second season. To learn how they acquired the vessel, restored the vessel and now provide a great Treasure Coast visitor experience, check out this week's audio file, it's all there!

In addition to "Lily", lots of tourism tidbits were shared on the show ranging from how not to be a pick-pocket victim as suggested by Bob Arno, The Pickpocket King, to Bahamas updates showcasing great deals from Bimini to Abaco, and a whole lot more.

Post-show note:  At the invitation of Capt. Fred and First Mate Jamie, Talkin' Tourism host Gary Guertin, show co-producer Misti Guertin, co-host Robin Hicks-Connors, friend Paul Nunley, took a sunset sail aboard Lily on Saturday. Everyone aboard had a great time! Enjoy the video and photos!

All aboard for Stuart Boat Show fun!

Chris Pollock, Gary Guertin Rick Allen, Robin Hicks-Connors,

Richard Treco, Bahamas Tourism office intern Ashley Knowles,

Rozeta Mahboubi and Donna Munroe post-show---all ready

for some boat show fun!

The Allied Marine Group conference room was packed with the Who’s Who of the marine tourism and Stuart Boat Show this week and the conversation was lively and engaging.  After introducing our host John Burkard, the president of Allsports Productions, Rick Allen, gave us a great rundown on what was in store for attendees at the 38th Annual Stuart Boat Show. Sharing in the conversation was John Smith, president of the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (MIATC). John shared his vision on what needs to occur to build the Treasure Coast's marine industry economy, as well as the industry's impact on marine tourism.  Martin County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Rozeta Mahboubi got right to the heart of the importance of the boat show and its important role in consistently keeping Stuart on the map as a world-class harbour-front community. Interestingly, Rozeta came up with a new name for the Cross Florida Canal/Okeechobee Waterway---Florida's Panama Canal. Very fitting for the gateway connecting the Gulf Coast to the East Coast, The Bahamas and the eastern Caribbean.

With South Florida and the Treasure Coast being on the doorstep to the Islands of the Bahamas, Richard Treco and Donna Munroe from the Bahamas Tourist Office joined the show to spread the Bahamas good cheer.  Just what good cheer did they talk about?  All the great incentives the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has initiated to attract boaters, fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts of all types!  In addition, Donna also shared her passion for Grand Bahama Island, specifically sharing Grand Bahama is not just Port Lucaya and Freeport!  There are many unique and diverse attributes to the Islands of the Bahamas “Second City”.  And, special guest Chris Pollock, representing the Bimini Big Game Club, brought listeners up to speed on activity on Bimini and more.

Last but certainly not least, co-host Robin Hick-Connors made a very surprising and important announcement at the top of the show.  Described by others as an “adventure of a lifetime," Robin shared that on a recent fishing trip, she had caught (and released) her first sailfish. Check out the show audio (you can download the January 13 Stuart Boat Show edition here) to hear the details (and excitement) straight from Robin!

Thanks for being a Talkin' Tourism listener, and always feel free to suggest any great tourism topics you or others would like to hear more about.

Catch us next week, same time (10:05 a.m.), same channel (WPSL 1590 AM or www.wpsltv.com), and more great fun!

Stuart Boat Show, Offers to Get You Boating to the Bahamas, and Marine Tourism

It's hard to believe it's already Stuart Boat Show time! Boy, does time fly when you are promoting tourism! (Gotcha! You expected "when you're drinking rum!")

As we did last year on the opening day of this Treasure Coast tradition, we are broadcasting from the offices of Allied Marine Group, located right in the heart of the show. Expected to draw great crowds of boating, fishing and outdoor enthusiasts, we'll give our listeners an overview of what to see and the line-up of great guests will give the inside scoop on the show and special offerings you won't want to miss.

AllSports Productions and Stuart Boat Show producer Rick Allen will share his thoughts on this year’s show, comparing it to the last several shows. The economy is getting better (they say) and people still want to have boating fun. John Smith, Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast president, will give a marine industry state of affairs update for the Treasure Coast area and share the importance of marine industries to the area's economy. Rozeta Mahboubi, executive director of the Martin County Convention and Visitors Bureau,  certainly understands the importance of marine related tourism to our area. If hotels are places where people sleep, marinas certainly are places where boats sleep. When you look at the numbers, there are probably more boat slips than hotel rooms in Martin County, so a lot of boats (and their owners) sleep in Martin County!

Of course a show would not be a Talkin’ Tourism show if it didn't have a Bahamas angle. Joining us from the Bahamas Tourist Office will be one of our favorite Bahamian ambassador's and a long time friend, Richard Treco. Richard will outline all the special offers available to boaters headed over to the Bahamas.

Then, drilling down to the “island level,” Christopher Pollock, member of the Bimini Tourism Advisory Board and representative of the Bimini Big Game Club, will share some thoughts on what the private tourism sector can do to support the efforts of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

The hour will be action-packed and informative, so hoist your anchor, trim your sails and tune your radio (WPSL 1590 AM) and Internet dials to Talkin' Tourism for a boat-load of information!