Travel Insurance, Summer Slams, and Parrots Squawking

Live from the Ambassador’s House on Palmetto Parrot Cay, Flahama, this week's show provided some real important information for those travelers who are headed “across the pond,” as they say in the UK,  or simply going to the Bahamas for a long weekend. Once you are out of the U-S of A, your health insurance is not the lifesaver it is here in the states. Could you afford a $27,000 air ambulance evacuation from a Caribbean island? How about your ability to communicate in French to the attending physician in a Paris hospital, or dealing with a family member who suddenly became ill on an extended cruise? History Lady and Radio Man had the show's resident travel consultant John Burson, CTC, of Indian River Travel, in the studio to answer these question and more. Call-in guest Andrea Frederickson of Travel Guard was a wealth of information on this topic, in addition to other related travel issues that can and do arise when traveling abroad. This is a segment of the show you cannot miss!

Sticking with the tourism theme and educating our listeners about the history of tourism development on the Treasure Coast, guest Dick Roland, board member of the Stuart Sailfish Club was onboard sharing with listeners how this world recognized sportfishing and conservation group utilized the fantastic sailfishing off Treasure Coast waters in the winter season, to attract visitors from around the country to our great area. If you listen closely, you will understand the difference between “J” hooks and "circle” hooks that are now used for game fishing.

Looking for a fun fishing tournament coming up on Father’s Day that won’t bust your budget? The Stuart Sailfish Club’s first SUMMER SLAM will fill the bill. Listen in for details and a whole lot of information.

Thanks for listening. We're broadcasting live from Tortola next week. 'See' you then!

An Island State-of-Mind, Travel Disaster Planning and Stuart's First Tourism Campaign

Smuggler's Cove, Tortola, BVI

In preparation for Radio Man’s semi-annual escape to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, this week Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast will be brought to you from the FLAHAMA-TM Ambassador House, located on Palmetto Parrot Cay, Flahama. This paradise is a good place to meld into an island state-of-mind. With lush tropical surroundings, parrots squawking in the trees, and an umbrella towering overhead, the location will be a real treat for this week's distinguished guests.

Not surprisingly, Stuart, Florida, the self-proclaimed “Sailfish Capital of the World,” had its early tourism promotion efforts coordinated by the Stuart Sailfish Club, which was founded in 1935. Dick Roland, a Stuart Sailfish board member for over 20 years, will join History Lady (Robin Hicks-Connors) and Radio Man (Gary Guertin) to share what impact the club had on early tourism promotional efforts. Additionally, Dick will talk about what the club is up to these days with their ongoing billfish conservation efforts, approaching tournaments, dock-tail parties, and more.

Next up—Travel Disaster Planning 101. So, you have a good health insurance plan and you are going overseas for a little vacation. Are you covered while in the Caribbean, Bahamas, on a cruise ship? Think about it. Are you taking your U.S. based health plan for granted? With Radio Man planning a trip to Tortola next week, and Robin headed for Paris, both need to know what they can do to ensure their heath insurance will take care of matters while abroad. Are you prepared? Appearing this week to educate our listeners will be our resident travel expert John Burson, CTC, principal of Indian River Travel, a 25 year veteran of the travel industry. His agency arranges travel for clients all over the world and works on their behalf to ensure that possible health care emergencies are not problematic.

So, tune in tomorrow at 10 a.m. on WPSL 1590 AM or on the Web at http://www.wpsl.com/ and take another hour-long trip with Talkin' Tourism and FLAHAMA-TM Free Radio, the pirate radio station of the Treasure Coast and beyond.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Cruise Vacations and More

Another fast paced, information filled hour of Talkin Tourism on Florida’s Treasure Coast from the Captain’s Lounge of Harborage Yacht Club is 'history.' Before getting down to discussing the cruise industry, show hosts Gary Guertin and Robin Hicks-Connors got caught up on their past week’s activities. From Gary sharing the fun and re-connects made at the St. Monica’s Anglican Church in East Stuart with FLAHAMIAN friends at a recent fish fry and guest celebrity judging the recent Single Fin Showdown Surf Contest to Robin attending the recent Triangle Bar “Last Call” auction where she bought her own bar stool, you never know what you will hear from these two!

Soon it was time to introduce the day’s guest, John Burson, a co-owner of Indian River Travel. As promised in the pre-show promotion, John has a wealth of knowledge on a huge segment of the tourism industry. Is there a typical profile for the prospective cruise customer? According to John, the answer is human being! Literally, persons of all ages, backgrounds, interests, and lifestyles are prospective cruise enthusiasts. Robin, the self-proclaimed Trip Nazi and experienced cruise enthusiast, asked many great questions that you will want to hear John address. Alaska, has been a popular cruise destination for years. Why are residents there concerned about the projected decrease in cruise ship passengers and what are they hoping to do about it? Was former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin involved? What will current governor Sean Parnell attempt to do to solve this problem? The answers to these questions and so much more about the cruise line industry were covered in today's show.

Despite best efforts, “Gary’s Paper Pile” did not decrease as much as expected, but progress was made. Gary did mention a limited time special offering from the Bahamas Celebration, which now cruises to the Bahamas from the Port of Palm Beach. If you missed the details, download the show HERE to get the scoop.

Thanks for listening and don’t forget to become a FAN on Talkin Tourism’s Facebook page. Would love to see you there, and invite your friends and family too.

Keep those comments and guest suggestions coming to talkintourism@gmail.com.

'See' you next week!

"Ooo eee, ooo eee baby, won't you take me on a sea cruise?"

Those immortal lyrics, written in 1959 by Huey “Piano” Smith and first recorded by Frankie Ford and later recorded by 12 other artist and groups including the Beach Boys, Billy “crash” Craddock, Herman’s Hermits and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, is the theme for this week's show.

Certainly cruise lines around the globe offer a tourism and vacation product that is extremely popular. With ships getting larger and larger and providing passage to world class destinations, Talkin' Tourism explores this mode of travel this week. John Burson, CTC, a partner in the regional travel agency Indian River Travel and one with 30 years in the travel industry, will be our tour guide. Beginning his agency with partner Ken Wall in 1980, Indian River Travel has grown from 1 full-time and 2 part-time employees to 24 employees and three regional locations. The agency “specializes in upscale, luxury travel with a focus on one-to-one relationships with clients," and that includes cruises all around the world. 

Talkin' Tourism on Florida's Treasure Coast hosts Gary Guertin and Robin Hicks-Connors plan to pick John’s brain and investigate such topics as:  How has the global economic downturn impacted this segment of the industry? What are today’s most popular destinations? Tips for the first time cruiser? What tactics and strategies did the cruise industry engage in to stimulate business? And, much more.

In addition to this special topic, Gary and Robin will tackle “Gary’s Paper Pile." What’s that you ask? Well, there are only so many things that can be covered each week in the brief one hour duration of the show so this Friday will be the day to get “caught up” on “everything tourism” that just hasn't made it to the microphone.

Tune in LIVE on your radio dial (WSTU 1590 AM) or to the live streaming audio on the Internet (http://www.wpsl.com/) at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 26. And, don’t forget to visit Talkin Tourism' on Facebook and become one of our Facebook fans!

See you Friday!