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Tourism Sector Dialogue with Bonaire’s Executive Council

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BONHATA Hosts Tourism Sector Dialogue with Bonaire’s Executive Council  Kralendijk – The Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association (BONHATA) recently hosted a dialogue with Commissioners Anjelica Cicilia, Clark Abraham, and Nina den Heyer of the Executive Council of Bonaire. The meeting, held at Captain Don’s Habitat, focused on the immediate challenges and sustainable growth opportunities for … Read more

BONHATA Showcases Bonaire’s Best at New York Travel & Adventure Show

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Kralendijk – The Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association proudly announces its successful participation in the annual New York Travel and Adventure Show. This well-attended event attracted a diverse audience, including consumers, travel agents, and media figures, providing a great platform to showcase Bonaire’s offerings to a broader audience within the tri-state area.  This year, BONHATA … Read more

Stars of the Industry Awards 2023

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BONHATA Stars of the Industry Awards honors 43 outstanding individuals in the tourism industry   Kralendijk, Bonaire – The Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association (BONHATA) hosted another edition of its Stars of the Industry Awards at the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort on December 7th. This event celebrated the exceptional contributions of individuals in the tourism … Read more

ACCOMMODATION PERFORMANCE UPDATE Q3 2023

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The Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association (BONHATA) works together with its accommodation members to keep track of key indicators for the tourism industry on Bonaire and provides quarterly performance updates. At present, the indicators tracked are: Occupancy Rate (OCC %): The percentage of occupied rooms at any given time compared to the total number of … Read more

BONAIRE LOOKS BACK AT A SUCCESSFUL DEMA SHOW 2022

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BONAIRE LOOKS BACK AT A SUCCESSFUL DEMA SHOW 2022 The membership of BONHATA was represented again at the 46th Annual DEMA Show in Orlando, Florida. This year the Bonaire Pavilion consisted of the following partners: AB-Dive, Belnem House, TCB, Buddy Dive Resort, Captain Don’s Habitat, Chogogo Beach & Dive Resort, Courtyard by Marriott, Dive Friends … Read more

Prinsjesdag 2022: Caribbean Netherlands

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Prinsjesdag 2022: Caribbean Netherlands October 14, 2022 Expected changes in 2023 Every third Tuesday of September it is Budget Day in the Netherlands. On this day, the Dutch cabinet proposes its new financial, legal, and tax plans to the House of Representatives. The islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba are so-called special municipals of the … Read more

Payment Options for the Visitor Entry Tax

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The payment of the Visitor Entry Tax prior to arrival has become easier with additional payment options. As of today, visitors have the option to also pay via iDEAL, this option is especially popular in the Netherlands. Also, the option to pay via PayPal and Apple Pay will be available soon. Visitors are encouraged to … Read more

Stricter Measures For Violations Of The Ban Of Disposable Plastics

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Starting December 1st, 2022, STRICTER MEASURES FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE BAN ON DISPOSABLE PLASTIC

Disposable plastic shopping bags, stirrers, straws, cutlery, and Styrofoam meal trays may not be sold or given away on Bonaire. You will receive a warning and/or fine for violating this ban. Inspectors from the Directorate of Supervision and Enforcement have inspected 50 catering establishments, 5 peddlers, several supermarkets, and wholesalers in recent months.

During the inspections, several companies were made aware of the ban on single-use plastic. A large part of companies adheres to the ban. Unfortunately, there are still companies that violate the single-use/disposable plastic ban. Companies that do not comply with the ban will receive a formal warning letter from December 1st 2022. This warning has a period of one week. The company then has a week to comply with the ban. If the company does not keep to the agreements, they will be charged a fine for each day they were in default. This is called a ‘compulsory order’. The company will receive the fine after a week. The amount of the fine depends on the size of the company. For example, a small business (1-5 employees) may receive up to a total of $2,000 in fines. A company can get a total of 4 “fines”. The first violation is $200, the second violation is $400, the third violation is $600, and the fourth violation is $800.

BONHATA urges all members to abide by this to avoid unnecessary fines.

For more information, please contact plasticvrij@bonairegov.com.

Bonaire Chamber of Commerce and BONHATA attended the FRED expo

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On behalf of the private sector, the Bonaire Chamber of Commerce and BONHATA attended the Flinx Recruitment Expo Dutch Caribbean (FRED expo) on October 29th in Rotterdam.

The purpose of this expo was to get in touch with candidates interested in transferring to Bonaire. The Bonaire Chamber of Commerce and BONHATA saw a need within the private sector for filling positions and thus had taken the step together to be present at this fair to -in addition to the government sector- also represent the private sector on Bonaire as an interesting option for candidates. Both organizations presented concrete vacancies from various local companies at the fair. These vacancies were also posted on the FRED expo website www.fredexpo.com. 

BONHATA also gave a presentation on working in the ‘hospitality’ sector on Bonaire at the fair and noted that there was a lot of interest from participants for management positions in the tourism sector. 

The Bonaire Chamber of Commerce made a presentation on the opportunities offered by entrepreneurship in Bonaire. 

Both organizations had a lot of interest from visitors at the eye-catching “It’s in our nature” stand.

The Chamber of Commerce also made many contacts with entrepreneurs from the islands who are active in the Netherlands and also motivated them to use their knowledge and experience for the further development of Bonaire by carrying out business activities here as well.

The Chamber of Commerce and BONHATA looks back on a successful participation in this fair as the visitors’ interest was definitely piqued to consider Bonaire as an option. 

Please send an email to bis@kvkbonaire.com if you would like more information or have any questions about the visit of KvK Bonaire or the FRED expo.