Tourism is surging to the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, which has undertaken one of the region’s model tourism reopenings since its summer 2020 restart.

Bonaire reported nearly 75,000 visitor arrivals through the end of August, according to new data from Tourism Corporation Bonaire. 

That’s along with what’s expected to be a very strong summer, according to Tourism Corporation Bonaire CEO Miles Mercera. 

Mercera told Caribbean Journal that there was “strong additional demand” for the island for the next six months, who projected arrivals and airlift capacity both above pre-pandemic levels. 

Indeed, the island is poised for a big winter with the return of a wave of airlift, kicking off with United Airlines’ Nov. 6 restart of service from Houston, along with the relaunch of the carrier’s Newark-Bonaire flights. 

On Nov. 8, American Airlines will begin operating three daily flights from Miami, followed by daily flights from Miami to Bonaire during the holiday season. 

And Delta will be increasing its Atlanta-Bonaire service to twice-weekly in late November and six times weekly through the holiday season. 

For 2022, seats are up nearly 40 percent, Mercera said, with just under 240,000 seats coming into Bonaire across nine different airlines. 

The tourism boom comes as the island’s hotel product continue to grow. 

Two major resorts are set to open their doors soon in Bonaire, headlined by the expansion to Bonaire of the Curacao-based Chogogo brand. 

The new Time to Smile Chogogo Beach Resort is slated to open before the end of the year, with  total of 20- rooms. 

That’s along with the relaunch Sunset Beach Bonaire, which will add 160 rooms. 

And the island’s buzziest resort, the Delfins Beach Resort (home to the recently-crowned number one restaurant in the Caribbean, Brass Boer), is also expanding. 

For more, visit Bonaire. Here’s what travelers need to know before visiting.

– CJ