Just Kite It
There are vacation travelers who choose their destination to visit family, see historical spots, long hikes, laze on deck of a cruise ship, gamble, enjoy a degustation of food and wine or at times simply to go on a shopping spree and so much more. Meanwhile, 92% of kiteboarders choose their vacation destinations by the predictability of the wind conditions, water temperature and the type of bodies of water accessible. These travelers bring a new spin to hospitality and tourism and help revive local communities. The proliferation of kiteboarding schools, kiteboarding stores and the local economy where wind is consistent during certain periods of the year is noticeable in countries like the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Africa, Egypt, Canada and the United States thanks to the elusive kite travelers.
Kiteboarding is an adventure sport steadily shaping a lifestyle among its enthusiasts. Kiters choose homes accessible to bodies of water where there is predictable wind during certain times of the year. Single kiters when they have a choice would prefer to hang out with fellow single kiters. Kiters find professions and start businesses that will give them the flexibility to kite and travel a few weeks in a year. Kiters plan their vacations around kiteboarding.
Enthused and challenged by the very difficult sport in the summer of 2009, Just Kite It dot com Founder Jessica Valenzuela pursued it with voracious passion. After dedicating herself to lessons by traveling to the Great South Bay in New York, Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and The Flats in Key West, Florida besides learning to kite and ride, she saw an opportunity to share kiting travel stories of fellow kiters she’s met and made friendships with. “Our affinity for the sport creates an immediate extended family.”
“Information sharing about kite education, kite spots and the consistent engagement of kiters worldwide is what we hope Just Kite It dot com will help solve for the progression of the sport.” Kiteboarding is breaking down geographic and gender barriers for over a decade now. So many untold stories are raring to be shared that will inspire connoisseurs of the sport, viewers and those curious about it. The global and local community’s affinity for wind, water and kite is a natural glue. Every kiter is in love with a fellow kiter’s skills and his or her experiences.
For version 1 of Just Kite It dot com our goal is to provide kiters worldwide and those interested in the sport with as much information about kite education, kite spots around the world through editorially curated stories created from the personal experience of the kiting community. Version 1.5 will be wrapped around extreme entrepreneurship and technology events for the startup community. It is a known fact, that there is a growing number of technologists and startup founders who kite. This could be attributed to the leadership of the Silicon Valley VC, Bill Tai who has been featured on Forbes.com. Version 2.0 of Just Kite It dot com will showcase a fully social web property with mobile applications for engagement in a global scale.
The average age of kiters range from 30-35 professionals with a slow, yet noticeable adaptation of the twenty-something and baby boomer demographics. There is also a growing number of women who are kiting, up 30% from 2008. Kiteboarding is a lifestyle sport and it is growing at a steady rate of 20% annually.
Jessica Valenzuela is also the Founder and Chief Principal of a New York based boutique digital branding agency, Mavin Digital, Inc. Her co-founder Marek L. Biestek is the General and Managing Partner of a New York based hedge fund, MSMB Capital, LLC. Jessica and Marek are kiteboarders who met at a parking lot on Tobay Bay, New York after a kiting session.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
