Black Gold On The Beach: Websites Deliver African American Professionals To The Caribbean

Oakland, CA (BlackNews.com) - "The Caribbean Escape - Summit at The Westin St. John (US Virgin Islands, August 16-21, 2005)" is a new Caribbean vacation catering to Black professionals. African American websites in Atlanta, Los Angeles, the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area and Washington DC are using the power of the Internet to market this new vacation experience, which offers adventure, beach fun, R&R, and networking. "Incredibly, this is the only nationally marketed Caribbean resort vacation that caters to African American professionals, particularly those 35 years and older," says Paul Mixon, tour operator. (For Caribbean Escape trip information, visit www.viplineup.com/caribbeanescape2005.asp)

The Internet marketing engine behind Caribbean Escape includes BlackNLA.com (Los Angeles), FLOWInsiders.com (Washington D.C.), Izania.com (National), the RAAPNetwork.com (Atlanta) and VIPLineup.com (San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area). Reaching over 250,000 subscribers weekly, the group's involvement in this first time effort stems from their desire to fill a growing void and demand in vacation offerings to older Black professionals. According to a Digitial Marketing Services survey, a majority of African Americans read online ads, and 46% find them informative compared to 26% of the general population. Online marketing appears to be an effective way to reach this market.