Bonaire has seen a strong recovery of its tourism industry in the last year, in spite of less-than-robust airlift to the island. 

That is about to change this winter, however, according to the island’s tourist board. 

In December, American Airlines is set to launch daily nonstop service from Miami to the Dutch Caribbean island, Tourism Corporation Bonaire confirmed. 

That will be a significant boost for an island that saw strong tourism numbers despite just a few flights each week from the all-important US market. 

The new flights on American will be complemented by five weekly flights between Atlanta and Bonaire on Delta Air Lines, along with the return of United Airlines’ service from Newark to Bonaire. 

That will “accommodate the higher volume of passengers expected for the Winter 2022/2023 travel season,” Tourism Corporation Bonaire said in a statement. 

Initial projections from travel analytics from ForwardKeys show “a steady” load factor for the fourth quarter of 80 percent. 

The ForwardKeys data is based on actual tickets booked to Bonaire.