In today’s press conference, Friday, February 10, 2023, Commissioner Hennyson Thielman gave an update on the “one ship policy” aimed at a better Bonaire experience for cruise tourists as well as residents of Bonaire. By handling a maximum of one large cruise ship per day, a number of improvements are being made for Bonaire. For the cruise tourists, the service and experience of the island visit will improve by spreading the number of visitors. Bonaire can also better serve the increased number of cargo ships, partly due to the strong growth in the number of inhabitants, and the entrepreneur can offer more service to visitors. This will also relieve pressure on Bonaire’s infrastructure.
The “one ship policy” already came into effect last year, resulting from the Tourism Recovery Plan, but there are still some days this year that must be served contractually. As of mid-April, this almost no longer occurs. Small ships with less than 700 passengers will be allowed as a second ship. The revision of the criteria and requirements for port bookings was also discussed. Incentives for motivating cruise lines to come in the low season are also being considered.
On February 8, TCB and OLB welcomed a delegation of Carnival Cruises management aboard Carnival Horizon. The purpose of their visit was to gain a better understanding of the island’s vision, high-quality low-impact tourism and a cohesive brand strategy with a focus on the visitor experience. For their part, Carnival Cruise lines introduced on-board stakeholders, including media partners, direct partners from the cruise industry, port and government officials, to their far-reaching environmental and recycling policies and an extensive Q&A session.
“With this course, the added value for cruise tourism on Bonaire is improved, which contributes to repeat visits and more money spent per tourist. There is also more space for freight transport for the necessary delivery of goods for Bonaire. This results in a more pleasant and safer environment in and around the port of Bonaire, a better touristic image of Bonaire and availability of goods for businesses and residents of Bonaire,” said commissioner Hennyson Thielman.