Let's go, go, go to Abaco!

Hope Town Lighthouse, Abaco, Bahamas.
Photo credit:  Misti Guertin

This week, Talkin’ Tourism will not just be talking about tourism, we'll be the tourist as we bring the show to you live from the Abaco Inn, located on Elbow Cay, in Abaco, Bahamas. This great oceanfront property is perfectly suited for a great broadcast location. Just steps away from the sea, our studio will be spectacular!

We have put together a stellar line-up of guests who best represent all that is great about Abaco. Michael Albury, president of the Abaco Community Tourism Foundation and the Abaco Chamber of Commerce, will give us an overview of current tourism and business trends in Abaco. Michelle Mikula, the public relations and group business representative for the Abaco Tourist Office, will be on-hand to share some of Abaco's great get-away opportunities and approaching events. The Islands of the Bahamas has tremendous diverse ocean and coastal environments. Friends of the Environment, an Abaco based environmental group, will talk about what this non-profit is doing to ensure the stewardship of the environment for generations to come. Talkin’ Tourism will also welcome Lindsey McCoy, producer with Conch Salad TV, a new web-based media company that produces a new video every two weeks showcasing the Bahamas from a “locals” viewpoint. I am sure there will be some great story lines. There could be other surprise guests as well, so don’t miss this week’s show.

Coordinating our Talkin’ Tourism road trips is no small task and special thanks go out to Bimini Island Air, A and P Auto Rentals, and Abaco Inn.

Here’s a snapshot (if that is possible) of Abaco:

Located at the top of the Bahamian archipelago 75 miles north of Nassau and 200 miles east of Miami, Florida, the Abacos stretch for 130 miles from Walker’s Cay in the north to Hole-in-the-Wall in the south. Marsh Harbour, Abaco is the third-largest town in the Bahamas and the commercial hub of the Abacos. It also has the Out Islands’ first and only set of traffic lights. A short ferry ride from Marsh Harbour is Hope Town. Visitors feel like they stepped back in time with quaint New England style villages and pastel colored houses that date back to the firsts settlers who arrived from South Carolina in 1783. For more about Abaco visit: www.bahamas.com/out-islands/abacos.

Let’s go, go, go to Abaco! Are there any Treasure Coast-Abaco connects? You bet there are and we are determined to find more!

"See you" Friday when we'll be telling you why "It’s Better in the Bahamas!"

Vacation planning, travel trends, and HOT Memorial Day Venues

Jody Clifford, Talkin' Tourism
co-host Robin Hicks-Connors and
Gary Smith ready to talk tourism!

On Friday’s show, our listeners learned what is new and exciting at the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum, as well as the travel trends for the approaching Memorial Day Weekend.

Jody Clifford, executive director of the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum, ran through the museum's summer schedule of exhibits and shared what day of the week you can get in for free! Talk about a great deal! The museum is definitely on the move with plans underway for the 3rd annual Real McCoy Rum Runner event, which is slated for November 18. An new venue has been secured. If you missed the show, download the audio to get the inside track on the new location and to hear more details on this not-to-be-missed event.

Gary Smith, a AAA Auto Club South travel professional, was a wealth of information on the travel services America Automobile Association provides. Folks, AAA is not your grandfather's Oldsmobile any longer. For those of you who have not recently investigated the range and scope of travel services they provide, check it out. When you do, you just may become a member if you aren't already.

So what are the Memorial Day Weekend travel trends? We can’t say here (because we want you to download the show) but it definitely has something to do with water! If you are planning to travel for the long weekend, check out the top eight Memorial Day Weekend get-away locations according to Oyster.com to find out if your destination made the list. Here's a hint:  the top eight range from Jamaica to Miami to the Bahamas.

If you are taking a stay-cation for Memorial Day or this summer and are looking for suggestions on where spend a little time locally, the show covered lots to see and do right here on the Treasure Coast.

Jumping across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, Gary covered the results of the Bahamas Billfish Championship after the completion of the first two legs, and let’s just say there are definitely Treasure Coast connections.

To hear all the details, download the show HERE.

We'll see you all this Friday from the Abaco Inn on Elbow Cay in beautiful Abaco, Bahamas! More details to follow.

Memorial Day Deals and Maritime Updates.

Where will your family be spending Memorial Day weekend?
Photo credit: aboutalltravel.com

This week we catch up with Jody Clifford, the executive director of the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum, to explore what's new and to talk about the early planning stages of the now infamous "Rum Runner" party. (Remember, time flies when you're having rum.)

Also, with Memorial Day weekend—the official start of summer—just around the corner, Gary Smith, a travel professional with AAA Auto Club South, will join us to share holiday travel trends across the U.S and Florida. Some of the questions the Talkin' Tourism team plans to ask is will the price of gas impact travel, what are the alternatives, will stays closer to home be popular, and are there deals out there we should know about, and if yes, how do we find them?

We'll also cover the top eight resorts to visit for the Memorial Day Weekend, as reported by Oyster.com, a travel industry web site specializing in reviewing resort properties from the viewpoint of the visitor, not the property.

And, of course the regular Treasure Coast and Bahamas features will be in the mix to keep you in the know about what’s happening in tourism around the region.

"See you" at Sailfish Marina!

Tourism and the Board Taking the World by Storm!

Rochelle Numann, Rozeta Mahboubi, Dan Numann,
and Charlotte Lombard know the importance of tourism,
as evidenced by their signs!

It was a real pleasure being back at the Courtyard Marriott-Hutchinson Island for Friday's show. Nothing can beat a remote studio location with such a great eighth floor penthouse view of the ocean!

As planned, St. Lucie County Tourism Manager Charlotte Lombard and Martin County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Rozeta Mahboubi were not at a loss of words on the importance of commemorating National Travel and Tourism Week on the local level, as well as on the national level. Both tourism executives share the philosophy: “it takes a community to make a great destination”.

Question: does the travel and tourism industry impact even those who aren't in the industry or not? Charlotte and Rozeta certainly answered that question and both were loaded with lots of facts to bring their points across! If you download the May 13 show, you’ll even get a preview of the promotional campaign created to promote Ft. Pierce this summer---here fishy, fishy, fishy!

Who would have thought that standing up on an over-sized surfboard with a canoe paddle would become an incredibly popular sport worldwide! This show, listeners got to meet Dan and Rochelle Numann of Coastal Paddle Boarding Rentals and Tours. Based out of the Port Salerno Fish House on the Manatee Pocket, this avid “water-centric” business is getting Treasure Coast locals and visitors all fired up about stand up paddle-boarding (referred to as SUP by the pros). From lessons and guided tours in the Indian River Lagoon to excursions into the Atlantic, Dan and Rochelle are the perfect hosts for your first standup paddle boarding adventure. Co-host Robin Hicks-Connors and Talkin’ Tourism co-producers Gary and Misti Guertin, took Dan up on his offer for an orientation and they are hooked!

In addition to National Travel and Tourism Week and paddle boarding, the hour show included Bahamas tournament updates and travel tips for teens from Robin.

If you did (or plan to) listen to the complete show, you will be among the first to know which island in the Bahamas we'll be broadcasting from on May 27. Here's a hint: a blue-headed parrot bears its name. Give up? Download the show and you'll be 'in the know.'

Tune in this Friday (and every Friday as a matter of fact) for another action-packed, fun-filled Talkin’ Tourism adventure!

P.S. Be sure to check out our music video below of our SUP adventure!