The first of many video’s for the 2009 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has been released!!

The upcoming videos will introduce you to the highly competitive racing that will begin on March 5th.

The web portal www.mapsxm.com was developed on island to help attract residents, tourists and anyone else who seeks information about the regatta parties and the island.

www.mapsxm.com was developed to become the island premier information website and is based on a satellite map: It is one of the first full screen maps on the internet!

Not only does it feature businesses with a so-called ‘map marker’ but visitors and locals alike get an overview of listed businesses and can zoom-in until they see the exact building and street where a business is located. Shortcuts to areas of high business intensity are provided.

www.mapsxm.com feeds off information provided by www.mapsxm.net, the new free business directory for the island. The .com website classifies businesses, points of public interest and St. Maarten Heineken Regatta sponsors with markers in different colors. Sponsors and paid and public markers open directly on the map and display core information.

A great added bonus for www.mapsxm.com is the integration into the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta website, as the web portal replaces the formerly printed Regatta Island Map: A step which underlines the Regatta’s pledge to support the environment.  Another clear advantage over its printed predecessor is that it reaches a global audience 24/7!

The website will be used as the official 2009 St.Maarten Heineken Regatta events schedule online: all party & concert locations, dates and specifics and changes will be officially shown on www.mapsxm.com

From launch date December 1, 2008 until February 24, 2009 ‘Mapsxm’ had almost 70 000 page views. Visitors average of nine pages per visit and stay seven minutes on the site. Due to the integration into www.heinekenregatta.com, ‘Mapsxm’ will further benefit of the success of the Regatta website which alone in March and April gets over 200 000 page views from all over the world.

‘Mapsxm’ is a joint venture between the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, the SMYC (St. Maarten Yacht Club) and Litemoon, long term regatta website sponsor. Both web portals were launched on December 1, 2008 and will benefit from the global marketing and promotion campaign of the regatta.

St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles [February 25, 2009]–Heineken St. Maarten and the St Maarten Yacht Club, organizers of the 29th St Maarten Heineken Regatta, today announced improved parking facilities for the general public during the Kim Sha events. On the Friday night party, March 6, where Carimi will be performing and Sunday March 8th, where Reggae superstars The Wailers will be closing off the 2009 Regatta, Paid parking for charity has been arranged.

In partnership with Port de Plaisance’s Hakan Unal, Mr. Al Wathey, Heineken St Maarten and the Sint Maarten Yacht club, the parking capacities for the parties at Kim Sha Beach have been greatly improved.

Parking for Charity, Friday and Sunday – Arriving at the party venue you will notice parking signs saying “PAID PARKING”. Parking on these two designated parking lots gives you the opportunity to contribute to two worthy causes. These parking lots are organized by Heineken St. Maarten and The St Maarten Yacht Club for and staffed by members from the “ST. MAARTEN SEA RESCUE FOUNDATION” and “SXM CHILDFEST”. The price for parking on these lots, which are in the heart of the party venue, is $10. All profits from this paid parking go to these non-profit organizations. Volunteers from both foundations will be present on Friday as of 4.00 pm and on Sunday from 12.00noon. There will also be Sheriff security officers present.

John Leone, director of Heineken St. Maarten adds, “Every year we try to improve the quality of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Experience, and through the generosity of Hakan Unal and Al Wathey, shore side we are able to alleviate traffic, provide great parking and raise money for 2 great charities. It seems like a win for everyone!”.

Parking at Port De Plaisance, Sunday only – The big parking lot at Port de Plaisance will again be open to the public on Sunday March 8th from 4.00 PM to 2.00 AM, with security provided. A shuttle boat service will operate from the dock next to the parking lot. The boat shuttles will transport people from the parking lot across the lagoon to the dock of the St Maarten Yacht Club in Simpson Bay. The drop off location at the St Maarten Yacht Club is within walking distance from Kim Sha Beach where the final Regatta party will be held.

Norbert Kout, marketing manager Heineken states: “We operated this shuttle boat service during last year’s Regatta as well and it worked well for the people that used it. However this service was not communicated widely, so most people were not aware of the possibility of parking at Port de Plaisance and ended up parking in the very congested Simpson Bay area on the final night of the Regatta.” Kout ads “As organizers of this great event, not only are we working with the police and traffic departments, but we are trying our own initiatives to alleviate the traffic situation in Simpson Bay. That is why we created this parking & boat shuttle facility at Port de Plaisance on Sunday March 8th. We advise all people coming from direction Marigot and Philipsburg to direct their vehicles to Port de Plaisance and avoid the Simpson Bay area.”

The shuttle boat service will operate on Sunday March 8th between 4.00 PM and 2.00 AM. Cost of the shuttle is 4 US dollars for a round trip.

And for the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta? It is March 5-8, only 9 days to go!