St. John Graces Cover of 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

 

In a huge step for positive publicity on St. John, the island graces the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the first time ever.

The much-anticipated edition, which will reach more than 67 million adults in the U.S. alone and is the most widely-read issue of any magazine in the world, hit newsstands nationwide last week.

The legendary Caneel Bay Resort creates a perfect backdrop for the cover shot of SI favorite Marisa Miller, captured by renowned fashion photographer Raphael Mazzucco. Inside the magazine, readers can enjoy Miller’s pictorial, along with those of modelsOluchi Onweagba and Melissa Baker, all photographed at Caneel Bay. The photography was coordinated by the V.I. Department of Tourism and its New York-based public relations firm M Booth & Associates.

“We are honored that out of the most beautiful locations in the world, the editors of Sports Illustrated chose St. John to grace the cover of this year’s swimsuit issue,” said Department of Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “There is no better way to share the beauty of America’s Caribbean with the world than through the beautiful photographs and eloquent editorial that are featured throughout the magazine.”

The models were on St. John for a 12-day shoot in October. When not posing on Caneel’s beaches, the group retreated to Cottage 7, the original quarters of resort founder Laurance Rockefeller and still the resort’s most requested accommodation, for more modeling and a splendid night’s sleep.

An American institution since 1964, the annual SI Swimsuit Issue features some of the world’s most beautiful supermodels posing at spectacular locations around the world. Outside the U.S., the issue is distributed in more than 10 foreign countries including China, Czech Republic, Greece, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain and Taiwan. In addition, an unprecedented collection of more than 1,000 photos and 60 swimsuit video clips from this year’s photo shoots can be seen exclusively online at www.si.com/swimsuit.