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46 47 driver on Bonaire, and Coolen believes that Sapias Holding B.V. beats the competition by offering the most complete product, as Buddy Dive Resort has three satellite dive shops, 6 dive boats, 90 rental cars, and two restaurants on the premises. “We have everything under one roof,” he explains. “So, it’s not only the resort and dive shop we own; we also own our own car rental; we also own the restaurants. So, we can give people a decent package price when they buy everything from us - for instance ‘Drive & Dive’ packages. That’s what we’re known for. Other companies also offer the same packages, of course, but it’s harder for them to match our pricing.” Augusto Montbrun, the resort’s Dive Oper- ations Manager believes that good prices are not the only reason for Buddy Dive’s success. “We are known for the quality of our service,” he states. “We look after what our guests want and then we, one way or another, deliver. The main goal in running the dive operation is to make sure that we’re always on top. Buddy Dive Re- sort is also one of the main founders and spon- sors of Coral Restoration Foundation Bonaire. The foundation helps to restore the reef. And that translates to our guests’ awareness of, and our reputation as, a resort.” Based on the actual occupancy numbers on the island of Bonaire, Sapias Holding B.V. has About Quest Dive Adventures Welcome to Quest Dive Adventures, Inc. We are a premium travel company providing group and individual wholesale travel to dive stores, group and corporate entities, and technical and expeditionary groups worldwide. Our staff has over 20 years of combined experience in many different areas of travel that allows us to help you with all aspects of your travel needs. Reservations 1-877-783-7809 Or for more info, visit: www.QuestDive.com Find us on Facebook! 090320147_QDA_ad1.indd 1 9/5/2017 12:45:25 PM SAPIAS HOLDING B.V. proven to be a leader in the hospitality sector, having gained a 20 percent market share on the island over the years. Recently, the company has also ventured away from Bonaire. In 2012, it opened Palm Trading Curacao in order to serve the Curacao market better and to expand throughout the entire Caribbean. In 2015, Bud- dy Dive on Dominica opened - a fully-stocked dive retail shop, with teaching facilities, a rental gear room, lockers, rinse tanks, camera tables, and outdoor showers. Its dive boats depart multiple times a day to different sites around the island. Coolen says that, going forward, Sapias Hold- ing B.V. is interested both in expanding in Bo- naire, as well as seeking possibilities abroad, as long as the company maintains its core activi- ties in the hotel/tourism sector, while concen- trating on prime dive sites. “We will focus on our main products – the accommodation, to- gether with the diving,” he stresses. “If the price is okay, we could expand on the island, but on the other hand, it would be more interesting for us to expand onto other islands to give our clients more options to choose from. That’s something we discuss. Of course, the downside of expanding to different islands is that we are based on Bonaire, so we would not have the same focus. But if there’s a good opportunity, we would look into it.” Meanwhile, Coolen says a major upcoming project is to rebuild the drive-thru at the Buddy

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