NEW YORK, Oct. 24 2003 (PRIMEZONE) - TRAVEL FEATURE -- When travel expert Stephanie Abrams' nationally syndicated radio show was recently expanded by the Business Talk Radio Network from one to two hours, now heard weekly on Sundays in the 6 to 8pm EST time slot, Abrams considered how to effectively use the increased time for the maximum benefit of her listening audience. With more than a year of show history to analyze, Abrams' production team's evaluation of audience reaction clearly indicated that there was high interest in the Caribbean. "I am a great believer that one of the keys to success is: find out what the people want and give it to them!" Abrams explains. "So we created a regular weekly feature called, 'Caribbean Corner' in which we highlight wonderful resorts and hotels in the multicultural islands that are the jewels of the Caribbean Sea. And to do that, I turned to the Caribbean Hotel Association's (CHA) President-Elect, Berthia Parle, to launch a powerful weekly feature to focus on the uniqueness of hotels and resorts in a way that would motivate my listeners to run, not walk, to their travel agents to plan their next Caribbean vacation, family reunion, conference, convention, or sales meeting," Abrams explains. "Berthia has expert up-to-date knowledge of the hotels and resorts of CHA's membership and knows the key personnel at the properties which make it easy to reach the right people to set up interviews for my Caribbean Corner segment."
Caribbean Corner began August 31, 2003, the first date of the show's expansion to 2 hours, with an interview exclusively with Parle who gave an overview of the wonders one finds in the Caribbean: the uniqueness of the islands, the commonality of beauty, multi-cultural richness, historical differences, and unique appeal to every interest and quest. "Each week since then, we have introduced the segment with the song, 'Lime in the Coconut,' which makes even the crew in the control room relax!" Abrams explains. "We recorded Berthia introducing Caribbean Corner with a variety of 90 second segments with the musical background. She sets the tone for a royal Caribbean-style welcome to help our radio audience envision the sea, the sun, the tropical drinks in their hands while they relax under a palm tree and learn about wonderful opportunities to be pampered that are just waiting for them," Abrams continues. "Then we bring on one or more hoteliers to talk about what makes their resort and destination special and we encourage them to share any special promotional opportunities which they may be offering. And while I give them every opportunity to extend their visual reach to my listeners by providing their web site address, listeners are always instructed to, 'Run, don't walk, to your travel agent' where their trip should begin with professional attention!" Abrams states. Recent Caribbean guests have included: Jim Hepple, Executive Director/Curacao Tourist Board and key personnel from La Source, Granada; Hawk's Bill Beach Resort, Antigua; St. Lucia Golf and Country Club & Rainbow Hotel; Royal St. Lucian; Almond Beach Resort, Barbados; The Body Holiday le Sport, St. Lucia, and Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in St. Thomas, USVI.
Parle mirrors Abrams enthusiasm for the project. "Having access weekly to the 2 to 3 million radio listeners to 'Travel WITH Stephanie Abrams!' provides a fantastic opportunity for members of the Caribbean Hotel Association to reach Stephanie's targeted audience. Because they are tuned into the Business Talk Radio Network, we have the opportunity to appeal to their need to take that well-deserved rest from the challenges of modern living, but we also can plant the seeds for their next business event. We have it all: intimate, charming, romantic, family-oriented, sports-oriented, golf and spa resorts, convention properties, hoteliers ready and able to meet the most demanding needs of the company planning a conference or meeting, and let's not leave out the special fantasy trip of the honeymooner! Yes, indeed, we make all dreams come true!" Parle states with confidence.
Abrams notes that hoteliers featured are reaching "the perfect audience." The demographic of Business Talk Radio listeners is very strong: 67% are over 35 years old; 51% hold top managerial positions; 84% are homeowners; 70% spent over $35,000 on their last car; 69% are college graduates; 72% travel for business; 83% have investment portfolios; 75% are married and the average household income is $75,000. "Clearly, this is the ideal demographic for suppliers in the travel industry to reach this group who are listening to my show because they are interested in travel! Berthia and I are motivating my listeners to become guests at places we explore on the air and I close the circle between the hotelier and the traveler by directing them to travel professionals. Berthia and I have a lot in common. We share a passion for the Caribbean, we're willing to dig in and make things work, and we believe that travel agents play a key role in a traveler's successful trip. This is only the beginning of our exploration of how we can work together to drive business to the Caribbean in partnership with the travel agency community," Abrams concludes. Program schedules can be found at Abrams' award-winning website, www.sabrams.com.