An intimate group gathered in Toronto last night to learn more about the southern Caribbean island of Bonaire, on the eve of WestJet’s first non-stop, weekly seasonal flight from YYZ to Flamingo International Airport.
The small group was fitting, because Bonaire is an intimate place. Despite having a larger land mass than neighbour Aruba, the island has a population of 24,000, less than a quarter of Aruba’s total. Fun fact: there are as many pink flamingos on Aruba as there are people. Another one: the only stoplight on the island is fake. It was set up by a pizza shop – green means pizza is available, red means it isn’t.
View of Kralendijk, capital of Bonaire. (photo via DonFord1/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Located off the coast of Venezuela, the tiny presence of this island municipality of the Netherlands makes it a best-kept secret among Caribbean destinations, says Jody Diamond, whose Diamond PR firm helps market Bonaire.
“’Is Bonaire an airline?’ people ask me. Another one I get is ‘Bon-where?’” said Diamond.
Departing Toronto on Tuesdays from December through April, the new WestJet flights will boost the number of Canadian arrivals, which currently make up about 5% of Bonaire visitors.
The blue waters and pink salt pans of Bonaire. (Photo Credit: Tourism Corporation Bonaire)
The largest hotel on the island is about 200 rooms, with most much smaller. With a building height restriction of three storeys – designed to protect the low-flying flamingos – that’s not surprising.
There are about 3,000 hotel rooms on the island now, an increase of about 65% since 2019, when the total was about 1,750. But to give that number some perspective, the MGM Grand Las Vegas offers more than 5,000 rooms in one building.
“There’s nothing big and branded,” says Diamond. “But it’s not always going to be like that.
Bonaire’s diminutive size and population doesn’t mean there’s a lack of things to do, although peace and tranquility is top-of-mind for many visitors.
For dining, visitors can go extreme high-end at restaurants operated by Michelin-starred chefs, or casual at a food truck like Cactus Blue, which, among other items, serves a lionfish burger. Lionfish is an invasive species with venomous spines – not included in the burger offering – so consuming it comes with some virtue points.
Local Bonaire food at Posada Para Mira (Photo Credit: Alex Temblador)
Bonaire is a top wind-surfing and kite-surfing destination, but perhaps its biggest claim to fame is a more than 30-year reign as the world’s best shore diving destination. The island offers more than 80 dive sites, most of which can be explored straight from the beach, hence the term shore diving. Many of the sights are signposted from land, and there are even underwater markers guiding divers. The rich waters around Bonaire are home to nearly 500 fish species.
Sustainability isn’t a new concept on Bonaire. “Nature is in our DNA, said Miles Mercera, CEO of Tourism Corporation Bonaire. “Eighty per cent of our land mass is protected, as well as 100% of the waters around the island. We have a deep connection to land and nature. Flamingos have more rights than people,” he joked.
Diving Underwater in Bonaire (photo via Harbour Village) (Photo Credit: (photo via Harbour Village))
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Bonaire since 2010, a rarity in the Caribbean region. “All visitors are welcome, and many famous people choose to come here because no one bothers them,” Mercera said.
The Tourism Corporation Bonaire CEO was joined on the Canadian visit by Veroeska de Windt, CEO of the Bonaire Hotel & Tourism Association, Maarten van der Scheer, CEO of the airport, and Kia-San Silberie, Secretary of the Commissioner of Economy & Tourism.
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