Dear stakeholders,

The COVID-19 crisis has hit the tourism industry very hard. The cruise industry in particular has not fared well in these times with some cruise ships being stranded for weeks on the ocean with positive COVID-19 cases onboard an no country willing to accept them at their ports. It is also important to note that a recent study in the US has shown that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large percentage of people are not willing to vacation aboard cruise ships for the time being. According to the 2017 Strategic Tourism Master-plan, the cruise tourism industry injects yearly around USD 34 million in to the Bonaire economy. This industry is an important economic boost for the island.

Our own research has shown that cruise lines have themselves indicated to not be ready yet to start visiting the Caribbean. The current circumstances and the hurricane season have held off cruise lines for surely until the beginning of November with the possibility of being postponed further to next year. Cruise lines are currently focusing on the protocols they can place in order to guarantee customer safety. It is expected that most ships will be travelling at half capacity. To be able to go to normal operations the cruise industry would need a vaccine.

In the foreseeable future when cruise ships are allowed to visit Bonaire there will have to be strict crowd control measures in place. Based on this information the government of Bonaire foresees a steep decline in cruise tourism income for the upcoming months.

We want to plan an information and brainstorming session with you to inform you of the latest cruise developments and for us to take the step together of transitioning into other sources of income for those who are dependent on cruise tourism income.

We would like to invite you for a presentation:
Date:     Friday, June 12, 2020
Time:     09.00 AM – 12.00 PM
Location: Captain Don’s Habitat (Aquarius Room)

Due to the corona crisis situation we would like to ask you to be present with a maximum of 3 persons per organization.
RSVP by clicking on the “Register” button on this page.

We are looking forward to seeing you this Friday!

Kind regards,
The Masterplan 2030 Team