The Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire set an all-time record for tourism last year, according to new data from Tourism Corporation Boniare.
The island welcomed 169,706 visitors in 2023, a number that was 8 percent higher than its total in 2019, the destination’s previous annual record.
Dutch visitors remained the island’s biggest market, accounting for 47 percent of all visitors to the island last year, followed by American travelers at 23 percent.
Bonaire has one of the highest rates of repeat visitation in the Caribbean, and that was a huge part of the island’s success story, with repeat visitors accounting for 56.5 percent of all visitors last year.
Diving remains the number one draw for the island, with 43 percent of all travelers coming for diving; leisure/vacation guests accounted for 42.5 percent.
The island also reported 447,747 cruise passengers last year.