Tourism News

Saba Divers voted number 2 in the Caribbean by Taucher Magazine

Story and photo by Suzanne Nielsen and reprinted with permission of the Daily Herald.

January 31, 2005

Saba Divers was voted the number two Caribbean dive destination by the readers of the German "Taucher Magazine," Europe's largest dive publication.

The magazine awards were announced during "Boot," Europe's biggest boating and water sports show, held for the 36th year in Düsseldorf in January. All awards may be seen on the Internet site at http://taucher.de.

Saba Divers owners/operators Barbara and Wolfgang Tooten said that they were totally taken by surprise when they learned of the award the first day of the show. More than 10,000 voters took part in the contest, which included voting over the Internet for the first time. The prize categories are divided into geographic areas, and for the Caribbean, little Saba is sandwiched between the Dominican Republic, number one, and Cuba, number three. "These are huge destinations, so Saba is really honored to be in this company," Barbara remarked.

The Tootens have attended the huge trade show Boot for the past seven years. "Saba is definitely getting more notice from all quarters: the public, agents, and the press. It definitely pays to keep returning," Barbara said. She observed this year consumers were a bit more cautious, but inquirers were more knowledgeable about Saba. About 20% of the over 283,000 attendees visit the Dive Section of the huge trade show. She said many booth guests congratulated Saba Divers and praised its features: customized attention, excellent service, free Nitrox, and flexibility. "We were especially pleased to hear this since these are exactly our company goals," said Barbara.

The award certificate will take the place of honor in the Windwardside office. It allows Saba Divers to use the Tauchen special award logo. The Tootens said that they intend to celebrate will all their staff members in the near future.

Photo: Barbara and Wolfgang Tooten with the Tauchen award.

Click here for a larger version of the photo.


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