Bonaire tourism industry sounds the alarm: arrival figures conceal a deeper downturn

KRALENDIJK – The Bonaire Hotel & Tourism Association (BONHATA) has published an analysis in which the industry body criticises the way tourism performance on Bonaire is being assessed.

By combining official arrival and hotel figures with signals from member businesses, BONHATA argues that visitor numbers alone are insufficient to show how much tourism truly contributes to the economy.

BONHATA points to Bonaire’s tourism ambition of avoiding mass tourism in favour of attracting visitors who stay longer, spend more, and add greater economic value.

Declining hotel occupancy

In support of its case, BONHATA cites figures for June 2026. The number of stay-over visitors fell slightly, while the number of American visitors dropped by 12 percent. Hotel occupancy declined from 60 to 51 percent, and revenue per available room fell by 15 percent. Forward bookings for November and December are also said to be lagging behind last year.

BONHATA also reports receiving signals from hotels, restaurants, dive schools, car rental companies, and suppliers experiencing a slowdown in business. The association concludes from this that the official arrival figures only capture part of the picture.

BONHATA therefore advocates measuring not only visitor numbers, but also spending, length of stay, type of accommodation, origin market, and economic contribution per visitor.

Call to restore North American air connections

The organisation is also calling for the restoration of North American air links, greater transparency over how tourist tax revenues are spent, and structural cooperation with Tourism Corporation Bonaire and the Public Entity on marketing and market data.

According to BONHATA, the focus should ultimately be not just on whether tourism is growing, but above all on what economic value that growth delivers for Bonaire and its residents.