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PAST EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS Platforms for Discovery and Adventure |
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PAST EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS Platforms for Discovery and Adventure |
| Eurotrading B.V., in
Amsterdam, Holland, masterminded an Adventure Travel Event for Peter Stuyvesant
Travel, a division of Rothmans International. This filmed promotion combined uncommon
destinations, an unusual mode of transportation and a contest. Pre-event publicity was
generated with the contest - winners from three countries selected to participate in the
four stages of the event. For both Odysseys, the Catalina PBY, a WWII amphibian, was
chosen as the mode of transportation. In addition to the contestants, photojournalists
from each country and a film crew were on board to film the event. Holland, Belgium and
France each edited the video material for their own TV productions. Post-event publicity
continued for years after the event in the form of media articles.
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 Laguna Bacalar, Yucatan
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PETER STUYVESANT TRAVEL ODYSSEY The 40 day tour started in Amsterdam and flew via Paris and Gibraltar to the Canary Island and Cape Verde. The contestants were flown commercially to Brazil, to allow the Catalina to cross the Atlantic. The journey continued through Brazil, via Venezuela’s Angel Falls to the British Virgin islands. ATP organized the two stages which encompassed Mexico, the US, Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland. The first step was flight planning, which would determine the destinations, governed by distance and range of the Catalina. From the numerous options, selections were made that were the least known and which provided the maximum in discovery and adventure. Once the initial program was presented and approved, the serious logistics part of the planning was set in motion. Small and unique lodgings, and outfitters who were sensitive to the custom aspect of this trip, were tracked down. We worked out the complexities of the activities, identified the special needs for the film crew and defined initial itineraries. Permit requirements, the filming platform needs, and the customs and immigration compliances were identified. Then it was time to go on several recognizance trips to make sure that everything would work for the trip. The Catalina journey allowed the luxury of selecting destinations not readily covered by scheduled airlines. It made the recon trips rather challenging. The recon trips confirmed, defined or altered our final itineraries and established the rapport with the outfitters. The next stage was to finalize the details, the permits, the special filming permits, and develop the detailed program budgets. |
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 Yoklasel lagoon, Iceland |
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Trip Highlights
| Mexico | Explore the Mayan ruins of Becan, Chicanna, Xpuhil and Kohunlich from Chetumal in the southern Yucatan. This unknown area offered no tourists and deserted ruins, which merely added to the sense of discovery and adventure. | |
| Georgia | An exciting Whitewater Rafting expedition on the Chattooga River from Thrifts Ferry to Lake Tugaloo was crowned with a visit to a local barn dance. This was heartland America at its best. | |
| New York | A scavenger hunt through Manhattan in honor of Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam and creator of the city, and a dramatic Catalina water landing in New York harbor. | |
| Vermont | Rest and relaxation at Lake Morey Inn and a balloon flight from Post Mills to experience the breathtaking autumn colors, the peace and serenity of the Vermont landscape. | |
| Newfoundland | A boat trip into the fjord and a bike excursion through Gros Morne National Park. A Scottish fishing community, legends and customs, and a moose hunt without a moose | |
| Greenland | A spectacular water landing among majestic ice bergs in Qaqortoq, in the south of Greenland was followed by an adventurous fishing expedition. Original seal skin kayaks were secured for a kayak expedition and demonstration by the Inuit kayak club. | |
| Iceland | A snowmobile excursion on a massive glacier and a lagoon trip to watch the calving of the ice bergs near Hofn on the east coast of the island of fire and ice, volcanoes and glaciers, and fierce winds that nobody mentions. |
 Aymara
Women - Island of the Sun, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia |
PETER STUYVESANT TRAVEL ODYSSEY Eurotrading B.V. presented the second Odyssey - The South America Tour - on European television networks during the 1995 season. An English edition is currently in production in Paris and will be offered for wider distribution this coming year. Like the 1993 Odyssey, the adventure was more than just a promotional event for Peter Stuyvesant Travel, it was intended to recapture a sense of discovery, long lost in the current trend of mass tourism and resort vacations. The mission was not only to find unusual destinations, but to travel at a pace that still allowed for connecting with the culture, the people, the uniqueness of each country and region. The Catalina PBY was again chosen as the mode of transportation. Through a contest, two representatives from Holland, Belgium and France were selected for each ten-day leg of the trip. Their mission was to gather data through research and interviews on an assigned topic, which was taped by the film production team of four on board and two traveling commercially. In addition to the six contestants, each country was represented by a journalist of a major publication. For the Odyssey participants, this was the trip of a lifetime. Exotic destinations, adventure, exposure to different cultures, indigenous peoples, historic events and ancient footprints. The mind expanded, the soul enriched, they all went home with a new outlook and a conviction that travel has more to offer than mega resorts and jumbo jets. The objective was accomplished: to show Generation X that there is still wonder and magic to be found. |
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 Winay
Wayna - Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Peru |
Trip Highlights
| Bolivia | Explore Lake Titicaca, Copacabana and Island of the Sun, birthplace of the Inca. Meet the Limachi brothers, builders of Thor Heyerdahl’s reed boat RA II. Kallawaya mystique, shamans and an unplanned skiing trip. | |
| Peru | Continue the discovery of the
Inca empire and its ruins with visits to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Trek the Inca Trail for
overnight camping at the citadel of Winay Wayna. Visit a remote Quechua village for an
intimate perspective of an ancient cultural lifestyle. Fly into the high Cordillera Blanca to be overwhelmed by the majestic Nevada Huascaran. Visit Yungay to interview survivors of the earthquake and experience the power of the mountains at Laguna Llanganuco. |
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| Ecuador | An exciting water landing on Lago San Pablo, and an in-depth exploration of Otavalo communities, markets and weavers. | |
| Colombia | Discovery of paradise on Providencia, a small and unknown island off the coast of Nicaragua. Clear, turquoise waters and reef formation that allow for perfectly picturesque water landings. Getting to know a community fighting to protect their island and heritage from an invasion of mass tourism. | |
| Cuba | Explore Santiago de Cuba’s harbor and fortress and sample the contrast of poverty and opulence. Experience European managed resort development to promote tourism on Cayo Coco and learn about preservation of the area’s flamingo population. Visit Havana to taste Hemingway nostalgia and see an emerging entrepreneurial economy. | |
| Bimini | Research and explore the drug smugglers wrecks and legends. |
