Dec 14, 2010

FREE HONEYMOON UPGRADE ON ALL 10 DAY PACKAGES AT MATAVA!

DEAL #2 from Matava for January 2011:
 
Book any of our packages to go fishing, diving, bird watching, or indeed just hanging out at Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort during the whole month of January and get upgraded to our exclusive Honeymoon Bure free!
 

Buddy dives for FREE in January 2011 at Matava, Fiji

2 great deals in January 2011 from Matava!
DEAL #1
Your buddy dives fir FREE!Don’t miss your chance to have your buddy dive for free at Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort during the whole month of January 2011 and see the mantas on the Great Astrolabe Reef.
Use this great deal to get your one of you diving for free to get in even more diving this year.

Dec 11, 2010

Deep Blue Adventures Announces New Charity Program

Charity begins at home and with that in mind Deep Blue Adventures is announcing the creation of Good Will Diving, a new branch of Deep Blue Adventures that will be dedicated to bringing together divers with organizations or people in need. Good Will Diving will organize and participate in various benefits, fundraisers and educational programs while providing a place where anyone interested in assisting or contributing to a need can find information on a cause and participate.

Deep Blue Adventures will utilize Good Will Diving to highlight one specific cause for a set time each year to maximize the opportunities to help while also taking part in other charities. Right now Good Will Diving is putting a call out to all charities and foundations to suggest their own causes for the program as well as any individuals or dive stores. Cheryl Patterson of Deep Blue Adventures says that the program was created to serve. "Divers are a very community-oriented group of people and we often have many clients asking what they can do to help," says Patterson. "Sometimes it is the form of taking school supplies or other much needed items to a place they are visiting, other times it is looking to offer aid during a disaster or making a financial contribution. We have always provided this information whenever it has been requested, but we wanted more people to know they have a reliable contact point."

November is the official beginning of Good Will Diving. This first cause they are tackling is the need for eye glasses for Fijian Villagers. Patterson says that it is a way of giving back to some of the places that divers enjoy so much. "As divers and travelers we experience many wonderful aspects of the countries we visit," Patterson explains. "We often fall in love with the surroundings, the food, the culture and, of course, what we find there beneath the surface. More often than not, the people are what touches us the most and deepens our experiences. We felt that highlighting a need of some of the warmest people we have ever met in one of our top-selling destinations would be an appropriate place to start." Good Will Diving is not requesting money for this effort but instead– used or old reading eye glasses. "Kids and teens can be just as involved as adults and no one has to dig deep in their pockets – that's part of what Good Will Diving is all about," says Patterson. Patterson goes on to point out that while foundations often need financial support, and they won't turn that down, folks can also often make a huge difference in someone's lives without any cost.

One of the reasons Deep Blue Adventures chose the Fiji effort was because one of the team members had a personal connection. Terri Huber, Senior Sales Representative with Deep Blue Adventures felt a connection with the Fijian people. "One night, during a recent trip to Fiji, I was chatting after dinner with another guest and Matava resort owner, Richard Akhtar," says Huber. "During our conversation, the subject of the needs of the Fijian Villagers came up and Richard immediately responded without hesitation, eye glasses. Having traveled to many remote diving destinations around the world and being welcomed and treated graciously by the locals we have thought of a small gesture to say "thank you". We as divers visit and enjoy these far off countries and return home with long lasting memories, photos, and souvenirs. So, why not give back a little to help out the remote villages of Fiji?"

The glasses will be distributed to various villages in need across the country. Matava Resort on Kadavu who operates the Matava Foundation has agreed to assist Deep Blue Adventures in their first Good Will Diving venture in getting the glasses to those that need it most.

At DEMA this year Deep Blue Adventures collected glasses to send. Anyone who didn't attend DEMA can still contribute to this effort by mailing in reading glasses, and Deep Blue Adventures is willing to absorb the postage costs involved if a donor emails

GoodWillDiving@deepblueadventures.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or calls 888-266-2209 and requests a self-addressed, postage paid envelope. DBA is encouraging dive stores, clubs, schools, scouts, business and other organizations to consider becoming a collection point for Eyes for Fiji and engaging their local community in an effort on a larger scale. Once the glasses are received any interested donors will be issued a $50 travel voucher as a thank you for their donation. Glasses collected will be sent on a regular and ongoing basis to the islands through the company's various contacts. All vouchers will be distributed electronically due to conservation efforts also being made by the company.

As of today, they have already collected 115 pairs of glasses! For more info visit Deep Blue Adventures' website at www.deepblueadventures.com


Deep Blue Adventures Announces New Charity Program

Dec 3, 2010

Recognition for Matava at the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2010

MEDIA RELEASE: 29th November 2010
Recognition for Matava at the
Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2010

Matava has won in the Best in the Marine Environment category at this year’s Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2010 organised by responsibletravel.com.
The Judges said “Matava is a beacon for responsible tourism and an example to other dive sites. They maintain a strong commitment to both the conservation of the marine environment and the development of the local Fijian community. All staff and dive guides are from local villages, they have signed an agreement with local villages designating 3 established marine reserves as 100% no-take zones, across large geographic areas, and even succeeded in assisted in getting marine conservation on to the Fijian National Curriculum.”
At a ceremony hosted at World Travel Market (WTM), Docklands, London, on Wednesday 10th November, the Awards were handed out by Justin Francis, managing director of responsibletravel.com, organisers and founders of the Awards, and Amanda Wills, managing director of Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards.
Justin Francis, founder of The Responsible Tourism Awards and managing director, responsibletravel.com, organisers of the Awards said:
"
This year I have been heartened by the depth of commitment and connection our winners have shown to the local communities in their destinations. Their successes and pioneering spirits are remarkable and the very real and authentic experiences they have created, set responsible tourism apart. They also remind us that holidays can be both luxurious for visitor and enhancing for local people - helping build schools, water pumps, clinics and conserving cultural and natural heritage.”
Lorna Young accepting Matava's Award at WTM 2010
 Richard Akhtar, Director of Matava – Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort said:

"At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious global award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding similar efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji's leading role and efforts in this regard especially."
Amanda Wills, managing director, Virgin Holidays, headline sponsor of the Awards said:
I’m once again humbled by the commitment, drive and ingenuity of today’s winners. They have shown us all what can be achieved by the people and places seeking to benefit from tourism, even when the economic climate continues to challenge us all. Their’s is truly an example for the rest of the industry to follow, and I’m delighted that Virgin Holidays is again able to be a part of this celebration.
Launched in 2004, the Awards are run in association with partners World Travel Market, Metro Newspaper and Geographical Magazine.

In 2010 Simon Reeve, best-selling author, presenter and broadcaster launched the Awards with an exclusive interview in Metro Newspaper:
"The Responsible Tourism Awards focus attention on travel firms that are providing us all with amazing trips that make a difference to a local community while still protecting the environment and our planet. And they remind us that responsible travel is not only better for our world, it’s also more interesting and memorable. Responsible tourism is the future of travel."
For a full list of finalists, see www.responsibletourismawards.com
- Ends -
Notes to editors
About Matava – Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava - Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. With more than 14 years experience in the Fiji Islands, Matava is recognized as a leading educational dive centre. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian 'bures' with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views. 

For interviews, images or further information please contact Stuart Gow, Stuart@Matava.com, t: 679-997-5416

About The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards
The Awards are the most prestigious and competitive of their kind in the world and are a collaboration between online travel directory responsibletravel.com; UK media partners Metro Newspaper and Geographical Magazine and World Travel Market who host the ceremony. The central tenet of the Awards is that all types of tourism - from niche to mainstream - can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people.

About responsibletravel.com:
responsibletravel.com is the world’s leading travel agent for responsible holidays. The site offers over 3,500 richer, deeper and more locally distinctive travel experiences that are better for destinations and local communities.
Whether you’re after an action-packed adventure, a relaxing beach escape or a charming countryside getaway closer to home, there’s something to suit all tastes and budgets.
Co-founder, Justin Francis had the original idea for the website on his travels through Africa having completed his MSc in Responsible Tourism. He launched the site with backing from Dame Anita Roddick in 2001 and since then has been included in Courvoisier’s The Future 500, Thames and Hudson’s 60 Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future and taken his place on the Advisory Board of The International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University. Based in Brighton, England responsibletravel.com also campaigns for positive change in the travel and tourism industry.

Contact: Stuart Gow
+679 603 0685

Alex Lyonspress@responsibletravel.com
+44 (0)1273 648 519