Bonaire, a Dutch Caribbean island, has been experiencing a surge in tourism since the onset of the pandemic.
According to a report from Tourism Corporation Bonaire, the island has seen a 10% improvement in stay-over arrival numbers in the last three months, compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. The island reported 39,687 visitors in the last three months, with visitors from The Netherlands accounting for 51% of all arrivals, followed by the United States at 23%.

In 2021, Bonaire welcomed 111,000 air arrivals, which represented a 70% recovery of the destination’s pre-pandemic numbers. In 2022, the number of tourist arrivals by air on Bonaire rose by 55.6% relative to the previous year and exceeded the level of 2019, the last year before the coronavirus crisis.

While there are no official projections for 2024 yet, the trend of increasing tourism in Bonaire is expected to continue. According to a report from CBS News, the number of tourist arrivals by air in the Caribbean Netherlands, which includes Bonaire, was higher in 2022 than in 2019, the last year before the coronavirus crisis. This suggests that the island’s tourism industry is recovering well and is likely to continue to grow in the coming years.

Bonaire’s visitors tend to be between 46 and 65, with the average stay by Americans at 7 nights per visit — and 14 nights for Dutch visitors. Hotel occupancy on the island was 66% in the third quarter, meeting the island’s pre-pandemic numbers.

Bonaire’s tourism industry has been recovering well since the pandemic. The island has seen a significant increase in arrival numbers, with visitors from The Netherlands and the United States accounting for the majority of arrivals. The island’s hotel occupancy has also returned to pre-pandemic levels.