TCB brings sector together at Annual Bonaire Tourism Summit 2026: Everything Is Connected

Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) successfully hosted the Annual Bonaire Tourism Summit 2026 on September 24 at Van der Valk Plaza Resort Bonaire, bringing together tourism professionals, government representatives, industry partners, students, and international experts under this year’s theme, Everything is Connected.

The summit explored the many factors shaping Bonaire’s tourism future, including artificial intelligence, global travel trends, destination management, air connectivity, hospitality, cruise tourism, sustainability, community engagement, and product development. The program provided a platform for speakers to share insights and discuss how these different elements influence one another and ultimately affect the island’s tourism sector and community.

The morning program opened with Boudino de Jong, Co-Founder and Innovation Head at Profound, who presented The Intelligent Destination: Data, AI, and Bonaire’s Next Chapter. His presentation explored how artificial intelligence and data can support smarter destination management and decision-making, helping Bonaire better understand visitor value, sustainability, and the balance between tourism growth and the island’s capacity.

Olivier Ponti, Director of Market Intelligence and Insights at Amadeus, presented Turning Global Travel Trends Into Tourism Opportunities for Bonaire, offering a global perspective on evolving travel trends and how market intelligence can help Bonaire identify new tourism opportunities.

A central moment of the summit was the presentation by Elesiër Angel, CEO of Tourism Corporation Bonaire, who placed tourism within Bonaire’s broader economic, environmental, cultural, and community priorities. She emphasized that tourism must strengthen residents’ quality of life while safeguarding the island’s natural and cultural resources.

Drawing on current tourism data, Angel highlighted Bonaire’s 199,084 stayover visitors in 2025 and the state of tourism, examining the current shifts in visitor markets, air capacity, travel behaviour, length of stay, and tourism expenditure. She also outlined TCB’s five strategic pillars: Community & Inclusion; Positioning & Global Image; High-Value, Low-Impact Tourism; Sustainable Product Development; and Monitoring, Data & Evaluation. She further highlighted the new resident sentiment study, designed to place the perspectives of Bonaire’s community at the heart of tourism planning.

Looking toward the next decade, Angel positioned the 2027–2037 roadmap as an actionable framework aligned with the government’s broader Bonaire Vision. Its focus extends beyond visitor numbers to locally retained value, resident well-being, ecological capacity, and quality growth. She stressed that the goal is not simply to create an exceptional destination for visitors, but firstly an island where every Bonairean can thrive. She concluded with a call for tourism businesses, government, residents, and other stakeholders to take shared responsibility for shaping Bonaire’s future.

“Everything is connected, and that means the future of tourism cannot be written by TCB alone. Our responsibility is to create the conditions for tourism to strengthen quality of life, protect nature, and uplift our culture. That requires each of us government, businesses, residents, and partners to do our part with purpose,” said Elesiër Angel, CEO of TCB.

“We must also be honest about how tourism has been funded and where we have invested over the years. Achieving our long-term vision requires the courage to change the way we invest and to align our financial commitments with the future we want to create.”

Marie McKenzie, Senior Vice President, Government & Destination Affairs at Carnival Corporation & Plc, presented Carnival Corporation as a Global Brand, offering insight into the role of a major international cruise company and the relationship between global cruise brands and destination partners.

Muryad de Bruin, Managing Director of the Curaçao Tourist Board, shared Curaçao’s Experiences and Insights on the Evolution from a DMO to a DMMO. His presentation offered a regional perspective on the changing role of destination organizations and the shift from primarily marketing destinations to a broader destination management approach.

Clayton Lasten, Chief Digital Transformation and AI at Kruiwa, addressed the practical application of artificial intelligence in hospitality through Running a Hotel on Artificial Intelligence: Real Lessons from Bario Hotel Curaçao. His presentation explored how AI and digital transformation can be applied within hotel operations and what hospitality businesses can learn from real-world implementation.

Julian Gelvez, Managing Director of Altura Aviation Consulting, focused on one of the most important elements of Bonaire’s tourism infrastructure with his presentation, Unlocking Bonaire’s Potential Through Air Connectivity. The session examined the relationship between airline capacity, market development, destination demand, and the opportunities and challenges associated with strengthening Bonaire’s air access.

Veroesjka de Windt, CEO of the Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association (BONHATA), brought the accommodation sector’s perspective to the summit, contributing to the broader discussion on tourism performance, market development, and the importance of public-private collaboration.

Karel Visser, CEO of Visser Family Holding, shared the story of a local family tourism business and the role local entrepreneurs play in shaping the island’s visitor experience.

Günther Flanegin, Bonaire Harbormaster, concluded the summit with an update on Bonaire’s cruise sector, covering cruise visitation, destination satisfaction, relationships with cruise lines, and future development, while highlighting efforts to align cruise growth with the island’s capacity and visitor experience.

The summit closed with Tourism After 5, providing attendees with an opportunity to continue conversations and strengthen relationships across Bonaire’s tourism community.

The Annual Bonaire Tourism Summit 2026 reinforced the importance of collaboration and shared responsibility in shaping the island’s tourism future. Through data, technology, connectivity, sustainable development, community engagement, and stronger partnerships, TCB continues to work with stakeholders toward a tourism model that creates value for visitors while contributing to the well-being of Bonaire and its residents.