BONDIA and A HAPPY WORLD TOURISM DAY!
Today, Bonaire and the rest of the world reflects and celebrates people traveling and visiting each other, with the intention to share, connect and create unforgettable experiences. To be able to entertain tourists on our island is a moment of pride in which we share our culture, nature and heritage.
This year’s theme; Tourism for inclusive growth aligns with Bonaire’s tourism vision which focuses on the inclusion and participation of our community in every tourism development.
Being inclusive gives us the opportunity to position the wellbeing of our community as the focal point. And allows us to make balanced decisions focused on long term prosperity.
Today, we again confirm our commitment in taking the people along and making sure that the growth and development is for the benefit of all residents. As we are slowly recovering and opening back again, we are making the necessary changes and taking action to ensure that this is the case for the whole community, by taking some hard decisions, by investing a lot more in tourism and training of tourism workers, by creating facilities on beaches for tourist, locals and opening up opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
However, the government can’t do this alone. Being inclusive also means that as a destination we are unified and move as one. We need organizations and companies in the industry to also take action in developing and helping us create this. Actively pursue the involvement of locals in tourism. For example, actively seek and train Bonairean citizens to become dive instructors, kayak instructors and so on. This is a responsibility also of the private sector. We need to remember that the tourists coming to Bonaire want to experience the authentic Bonaire culture, language, people and traditions.
For the long-term benefit of all, this is the only way to do it.
Today, is also a moment for tourism workers and potential workers to see the true potential that tourism has and the pride it brings. If a person comes to Bonaire that means they have chosen to spend that one vacation they may have in a year or their year’s savings on that one moment in Bonaire above all islands and countries they could have gone to. This is the reason we need to give world class service to those who are coming to our island. Take initiative in preparing and bettering yourself to give the best to our guests because in the long run this will benefit you and also the island.
Today, we want to Thank all our tourism partners, all the different organizations in the sector and all workers in the industry who goes to work to show the world who we are as a community.
Thank you for your endless efforts and thank you for everything that you do. You are appreciated!
Danki
