Beginning July 1, 2022, the island’s current ‘room tax” and rental ‘car tax’ will be replaced by a $75 per visit Visitor Entry Tax, which will continue to support the island’s infrastructure, tourism product, eco efforts and education. The visitor entry tax will apply to all non-residents 13 and older entering Bonaire. Non-residents aged 12 and under, residents of the former Netherlands Antilles will be required to pay a $10 per visit fee. It is encouraged that visitors pay the mandatory tax digitally at bonaireisland.com in advance of their trip, and can do so as early as Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Alternatively, tourists can also pay upon arrival at Flamingo International Airport.
The ‘room tax’ and ‘car tax’ was previously paid per person per night to the accommodation and when renting a car. Shifting the tax responsibility from accommodation and car rental providers to non-residents, the updated collection process has been well received by the tourism sector and is expected to increase revenues for the island by more than $6 million per year.
Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) supports this update designed to streamline the entry process for both visitors and the island’s tourism partners. “We encourage all visitors to pay the visitor entry tax in advance on www.bonaireisland.com which will allow them to swiftly start their vacation sooner upon arrival,” said Miles B. M. Mercera, Tourism Corporation Bonaire’s CEO.
On the heels of announcing the launch of the Bonaire Bond, the island’s new destination pledge – which visitors will soon be able to automatically sign when purchasing their Visitor Entry Tax, and the lifting of all entry requirements, this change is yet another step forward in what has already been an exciting and successful year for tourism in Bonaire.
