Last Thursday April 10th, board members, members, staff of Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association and invitees gathered at the Recompression Chamber for the first Member Social of the 2nd Quarter. Eric Gietman, President of the BONHATA’s Board of Directors welcomed everyone and gave a speech on the ambitions he has as the new President of BONHATA and the importance of the existing partnership
with the Tourism Corporation Bonaire. The bond between these two organizations is of great importance for the development of a sustainable tourism industry on Bonaire.
Dr. Dick van der Vaart is internationally recognized and awarded for his work and commitment to diving medicine as well as his local pioneering work in hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The BONHATA membership recognizes and awards Dr. Dick van der Vaart as honorary member because of these achievements.
Tours were given of the facility and the recompression chamber to provide more information on the work that Dr. van der Vaart and the chamber team have been doing for the Foundation Recompression Chamber Bonaire for the last 28 years.
Throughout the evening the 2014 Bonaire Culinary Team served some delectable snacks and welcome drinks in preparation for their participation at the Taste of the Caribbean 2014 competition. They surely have a winning chance from all the positive reactions they have received during this wonderful evening.
Eric Gietman states “BONHATA is progressing and ready for the future. A priority for BONHATA is creating synergy and getting the community of Bonaire to work together and achieve results, being divided and quarrelling amongst each other will not benefit us or our tourism industry which is the key to our economy. We need to work together in the industry, knowing and respecting our differences, with only one goal and that is to develop our tourism in a truly sustainable way.”
BONHATA calls upon all the organizations in tourism, private and public, to join forces and make Bonaire the most sustainable destination in the Caribbean.
The president of the Board continues “the Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association has been working on development of tourism for more than 33 years, and will continue to do so. Where possible we will lead, if necessary we will follow but we will never get out of the way.”
BONHATA strongly believes that a difference can be made on Bonaire. We can benefit more from the numerous possibilities that tourism has for our economy, which is the key to our future.