“Sea Dream I” anchored at Fort Bay Harbour

Sea Dream I successfully anchored at Saba’s Fort Bay Harbour Tuesday morning, writes The Daily Herald. This was the second scheduled call on Saba for the luxury cruising yacht after an aborted attempt in January due to inclement weather.
Director of the Saba Tourism Office Glenn Holm said there were 112 passengers on board, about 40 of who came ashore to visit the island. Only two ventured to experience diving in Saba’s protected waters with some others preferring to go trail hiking in its lush forests. Twenty toured the island and stopped in Saba’s villages for shopping, said Holm in confirming that several stores reported good sales.
“Saba does not cater to the large cruise ship market,” Holm stated. “We like the Sea Dream Yacht Club because it features a top-rated, high-end, small cruise fleet. Their calls on Saba bring ashore the type of tourists that appreciate the island for what it is with many of them returning for longer stays.” Sea Dream is a good example of the sustainable elite-yacht cruising Saba wishes to attract for its niche sustainable eco-tourism offers, said Holm.
The tourism director also announced a visiting film crew on Saba this week. They will be shooting footage for the promotion trailer of a Dutch Caribbean Kayaking Challenge. The race is expected to start in St. Maarten going to St. Eustatius and Saba. The tentative date for this event would be in June, 2015. Saba Tourism Committee members, who attended the Travel and Adventure Show in Washington, DC, are expected to return to Saba this week.
The Tourism Office is also planning to send two representatives next month to attend the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Travel Expo in New York, as part of the island’s efforts to position itself as the friendliest island for same-sex couples looking for a secluded nature-oriented retreat in the Caribbean. As a result of Saba being the first Dutch Caribbean Island to officiate same-sex marriages, and following representation at the GLBT show in 2013, the island’s niche tourism product received much attention. Saba was featured extensively in the September issue of Passport magazine. The magazine is a powerhouse in the worldwide gay-tourism industry, which presented Saba as “truly paradise” and as “the most welcoming and friendly island in the Caribbean,” among other superlatives.