At the Annual General Meeting held at Delfins Beach on September 27th, BONHATA said farewell to Bas Noij as president. Noij is stepping down as a BONHATA board member after four years, and Luite Berkenbosch has been elected as BONHATA’s new president. During the AGM, the candidates received unanimous support from the members and were therefore elected to serve as the new BONHATA board of directors. The board now includes:
• Michiel van Heusden – Epic Tours Bonaire
• Casper Naber – Plaza Beach And Dive Resort
• Luite Berkenbosch – The Bellafonte – Luxury Oceanfront Hotel
• Claire Sealy – Captain Don’s Habitat
• Charles Vos – Grand Windsock Bonaire
• Paul Coolen – Buddy Dive Resort
• Junny Janga – Budget Rent a Car
• Tom Peeters – VanEps
• Celine van Meer – Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino
For the following two years, they will actively lead the charge.
Luite discussed his new position as the future president, the goals of BONHATA, his vision and ideas for Bonaire tourism, sustainable growth, and the best ways to collaborate with different businesses and hotels to advance Bonaire tourism. There was also a review of the previous 12 months. ‘Special guest’ Erik Wolf (founder of the World Food Travel Association) gave an amazing presentation on culinary tourism. We are seeing a rise in our ADR compared to prior years, which means we are finally changing our focus to competing on value rather than price. He talked about how culinary tourism develops through time, how consumers and travelers have changed, and how to provide them with the greatest possible experience.
CEO Veroesjka de Windt ended the presentation by discussing the advocacy work BONHATA has done over the last year and the different projects the organization has worked on along with TCB, OLB, and other key partners. She also mentioned upcoming events like the CHTA Marketplace, where BONHATA and TCB will represent hotels and island tourism activities, the Revenue Management Seminar for hotels, and the Fred recruitment expo, where BONHATA and KVK will collaborate to represent the private sector labor market with a focus on attracting more natives back to the island in order to close the current labor market gap. Additionally, she made a list of the events scheduled for 2023, including the Bonaire Jazz Festival, Culinary Festival, Stars of the Industry, and others.