Was I dreaming or did I read somewhere where there is some development MAYBE in the plans for Bonaire???

jiminiŽ

I found the reading material I was referring to -
The Bonaire Reporter~

About the 570 room hotel that MAY go up on Sunset Beach Resort... Interesting article.

Frankly I hope it doesn't materialize... Nothing ruins a small island atmosphere like a high rise hotel complex...

jiminiŽ

Jim, If this helps at all..it took years for them to take down a sign across from the old sunset beach....I believe it was "Arty's World" Coming soon.....
It took years for them to take down the old "Sunset Beach Hotel"!

Thanks Meryl your comment did help - lots!

jiminiŽ

There is always talk of development on Bonaire but things never seem to happen. Bonaire does need to develop if it is going to survive as a tourist destination, with careful planning this can be done sympathetically by learning from the mistakes of other islands.
It is however unlikely that any major development will occur due to the lack of infrastructure. WEB are running pretty much flat out to supply water & electricity, it is unlikely that WEB could supply the utilities required to a 500 room hotel on top of what they can already produce.
In order to develop, Bonaire needs massive investment in the production of a plant to supply water & electricity, even if this was available and plans were drawn it would take many years to complete.

I think what you all may be talking about is an article that was in the Bonaire Reporter under "Flotsam and Jetsam". Basically the hotel college, that was originally slated for the Cai Sorobon area has been changed to the north end of the island. This is because of the fragile eco system over at Cai and Sorobon.

The article states:

"On Tuesday, the Bonaire Economic Platform Foundation announced a new project, unprecedented for the island, that will shift the center of Bonaire's tourism to the north. According to their press release a top major hotel chain, whose name is being withheld pending further negotiations will run a suite-residental hotel that will be partnered with Maastricht's Hoeg Hotelschool." It then explains the workings of the hotelschool. It goes on to state: Originally planned to be located in Lac Bay, the Platform board, following an unfavorable environmental impact study, decided to relocate to a government provided area in the Colombia Plantation Area. As part of the project, the road now running past SABADECO will be paved and extended to Rincon. Construction is planned to starat by the end of they year.

For those of you interested in reading the whole article, please pick up or log onto the Bonaire Reporter website.

In the twenty two years of living on Bonaire, I have seen or heard projects come and go. Still, the population has remained fairly stable, the tourist arrivals have hovered between 50 and 60 thousand, etc. To make a statemnt that tourism has to grow to make Bonaire a viable ecoomony is really in error since we seldom reach full occupency. We are committed to sustainable growth. It may come to pass that a big hotel will try to open but it is not likely that it will happen soon...

Thank you Michael.

Michael,

I agree with you sustainable growth is how we want to maintain, but there is always the question which comes first the chicken or the egg? From my understanding many times large corporate hotel chains have come in, liked what they've seen, but have declined to commit due to lack of airlift. Properties on the island have a tendency not to announce their occupancy rates, for whatever reasons. Therefore trying to get scheduled airlines in is difficult, they say we don't have enough rooms to substantiate the added airlift. Many times I have heard people say "Oh everything is booked" when it truly is not, but that is a whole other story. One big vicious circle I think. At some point, someone will have to take the bull by the horns...not me though..lol..I'm to minute..

I think Jimmi may have also been thinking of the proposed hotel/chain that was PROPOSED at Sunset Beach, but appears to have been "beached."