KRALENDIJK- For the first time in a very long time, figures from the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) sees a significant drop in tourism arrivals. 

Preliminary visitor statistics for September 2024, show a total of 10,779 stay over visitors to Bonaire. This figure reflects a 9.8% decline compared to the 11,951 visitors recorded in September 2023. Notably, this month’s visitor numbers are also close to pre-pandemic levels, as 10,000 visitors arrived in September 2019. 

Dutch visitors continued to form the largest visitor group, making up 48% of total arrivals with 5,182 tourists. U.S. visitors represented the second-largest group, with 2,003 visitors (18.6%), followed by 1,772 visitors from Curaçao (16.4%). 

Additional significant contributions came from Aruba, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, and Colombia. The year-over-year comparison of visitor data from 2023 to 2024 reveals notable shifts among Bonaire’s primary tourism markets. Visitors from the Netherlands decreased by 10.3%, with 5,182 arrivals in 2024 compared to 5,776 in 2023. The U.S. market also saw a significant decline, dropping 20.8% from 2,530 visitors in 2023 to 2,003 in 2024. Curaçao contributed 1,772 visitors, a 7.2% decrease from the previous year’s 1,909. Canada’s visitor numbers fell by 10.7%, from 84 to 75. German tourists decreased by 15.1%, totaling 230 in 2024 compared to 271 in 2023. 

Additionally, Aruba saw a substantial reduction, with 257 visitors in 2024, marking a 29.8% drop from the 366 recorded the year prior.