MasterCard- PERU HERE WE COME! MasterCard Awards Grand Prizes to Winners of its Casual Dining Promotion

PERU HERE WE COME!

MasterCard Awards Grand Prizes to Winners of its Casual Dining Promotion

August 29, 2008, PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Various lucky persons are now getting ready for a vacation to remember with friends and family courtesy MasterCard Worldwide. It's off to Peru on September 9, 2008, all expenses paid and the chance to be part of the live football action when Peru squares off with Argentina in a qualifying game!

MasterCard's Casual Dining Promotion offered cardholders in Trinidad and Tobago this amazing opportunity when they used their MasterCard cards at selected Casual Dining restaurants.

The winners all dined at Ruby Tuesday's, TGI Friday's, Benihanna and Pelican Reef in Tobago sometime between June 15 and July 31, 2008. On Thursday August 21 MasterCard treated the winners to an evening of cocktails at the Jade Terrace of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain where they were presented with their packages.

As expected, there was excitement in the air as the winners and their guests discussed the upcoming trip which will also include a visit to Machu Picchu, one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Comments like, "amazing; a journey of a lifetime; out of this world" could be heard as the evening progressed.

It was a double celebration for Conrad Skinner and his wife Lee Marie who were celebrating their anniversary on Thursday. Lee Marie says this trip is truly a blessing and a great surprise. She and Conrad were at the Pelican Reef in Tobago a few weeks ago when they entered. Conrad tells us when he got the call that they won he thought it was one of his friends playing a prank. Now that reality has set in, he is just looking forward to the visit when he and Lee Marie will continue their anniversary celebration.

Narendra Pundit, another winner, says he learnt about Peru in High School and has always wanted to visit. He loves travelling and visiting other countries. He and his wife Janelle are looking forward to experiencing Peruvian culture and daily life in the South American country. He says, "people's philosophies are evidenced by their culture, that kind of brings a sense of wholeness in me."

Winning was just as unexpected for Garnet Smart who decided sometime in July to have a meal alone at TGI Fridays in Port of Spain. He and five lucky persons will be part of his Peru getaway. He tells us, “Apart from seeing the qualifying game which I know I will enjoy thoroughly, I hope to see the wonders of Peru and what it has to offer, maybe I can come back and encourage more people to visit South America."

MasterCard's Country Manager for Trinidad and Tobago, Denise Press, says, "the response to the Casual Dining Promotion like MasterCard Fashion Month 2008, was fantastic and a resounding success." She points out "this was also a great opportunity to get some of our merchants involved, in this case the casual dining restaurants. Without them this promotion could not have been possible. "

So why this promotion? Lorena Holguin, Vice President, Marketing for the Caribbean explains "we wanted to do something different for our cardholders and we knew Trinidad and Tobago was a football loving country. We also wanted to give our customers something to smile about. "

Another winner, Nicole Innis, still can't believe she won! She had this to say, "I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you so very much MasterCard. It's incredible. I'm really  glad I took a MasterCard. It was the best ever and it had definitely worked out in my favour, so Peru here I come!

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About MasterCard Worldwide

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders, and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor, and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 18 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus, MasterCard Worldwide serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories.

For more information go to wvvvv.mastercarcl.com.

Contacts:

Carolina Copello, 305 536 9449, carolina_copello@mastercard.com

Ann Marie Ganness, 868-622-0049, swfco.pr@gmail.com