Travelers Continue to Flock to the Caribbean Island of Bonaire
Tourism to Bonaire posted strong growth in June, according to new data provided to Caribbean Journal by Tourism Corporation Bonaire.
The island welcomed 13,606 stayover visitors last month, a 12.2 percent increase over the same period in 2024, when 12,117 visitors arrived.
Diving into the Numbers
The largest share of visitors came from the Netherlands, which accounted for 38.7 percent of total arrivals — a total of 5,207 travelers. The United States was the second-largest source market, comprising 34.8 percent of all visitors with 4,732 arrivals.
The next-largest visitor groups came from Curaçao (1,965 visitors; 14.4 percent), Aruba (274 visitors; 2 percent), Germany (199; 1.5 percent), Belgium (182; 1.3 percent), Colombia (148; 1.1 percent), Canada (84; 0.6 percent), Switzerland (82; 0.6 percent) and Brazil (61; 0.4 percent).
U.S. Visitor Trends
Most U.S. visitors came to Bonaire with a partner, followed by solo travelers. The top reasons for visiting were vacation (49.1 percent) and diving (37.9 percent).
More than half of U.S. visitors (55.6 percent) stayed in hotels, followed by villas (14 percent), their own property (6 percent), apartments (5.2 percent), and relatives’ homes (3.8 percent).
Top U.S. feeder markets included Florida, Texas, New York, California, and Pennsylvania.
The leading U.S. age demographics were 45–54 (21.8 percent) and 55–64 (17.7 percent).
Dutch Visitor Trends
Among Dutch visitors, most also traveled with a partner or alone. The majority came for vacation (70 percent) or to visit friends and family (9.4 percent).
About 50.2 percent stayed at hotels, followed by apartments (14.2 percent), relatives’ homes (11.2 percent), their own property (5.2 percent), and villas (4.4 percent).
Dutch visitors primarily came from South Holland, North Holland, North Brabant, Gelderland, and Utrecht.
The most represented Dutch age groups were 55–64 (21.9 percent) and 25–34 (20.8 percent).
Bonaire has seen a steady climb in visitor arrivals throughout 2025, supported by increased airlift and the island’s growing profile as a premier dive and nature destination in the Southern Caribbean.
