The Bonaire Reporter this week had a note about a plan to put a Cruise Ship Terminal in the place of 'the now demolished Customs warehouses.' Shades of Cozumel!! First KLM stops with the attendant drug activity (another note in the Bonaire Reporter highlights the XTC, heroin and cocaine transit through Bonaire) and now a cruise ship terminal. I know the island desires/needs economic activity but these??? It does not need this jump into the First World.

ain't got no silver but i suppose bonaire could make do with some black coral ;)

geez glen ;)

of course they would need to increase the shuttle service from columbia - more chicks ;)

sorry,

(beers)

Cruise ships bring low revenue to islands. The passengers buy little, rarely eat on island and just use the water and bathrooms. Ughh...I hope this is not true..

the same local politicians who hold up the new airline service probably will own the tee shirt shops that will spring up... ain't politicians great? ugh!!!!

Actually, the Beta Bonaire Corp. - the company which put forth the proposal for the terminal, according to the paper, is owned by Deepak Daryanani - the same guy who owns Bonaire Gift Shop, Atlantis, and the Big B grocery store. He's not a Bonaire politician. He's an entrepreneur looking to open up a shop (calling it a "terminal") right where some of the cruise ships park. I'm not particularly for or against that, but what's currently on the pier is pretty darn ugly.

Glen - did we read the same issue of the Reporter? I saw the article on XTC, etc. trafficking, but did not see mention of Bonaire in that article, just the Antilles in general.

I assumed the reference was to Curacao because they have all the air traffic to South America in the Antilles (Bonaire doesn't have any flights to S.A., although I suppose the Venezuelan fruit boats are suspect).

Jake

I read the note on page 2 online; its 2nd paragraph reads::

'An INCB delegation that visited the Antilles in June last year noted that the airports and harbors of the islands,  especially in Curaçao and Bonaire, were used for transshipment of cocaine from South America. The organization funded by the United Nations, compliments Antillean authorities in regularly confiscating substantial amounts of drugs en route to Europe and the US. '

I understood that KLM flies to and from two cities in SA via Bonaire: isn't that what the new construction is all about? And all the flights people are watching?? Other reports have recounted the number of bolita carriers and others refused boarding to KLM flights at Flamingo airport.

Actually, Ann, the cruisepassengers *do* frequently eat on the island, particularly around lunch. On the days when there's a ship in port, I know I'll be running my butt off that day .
What's nice to note is that most of them had never heard of Bonaire before and almost all of them are very enthusiastic. We've had ships with British and German tourists and they were very (happily) surprised to learn that they could come here so easily through Amsterdam; many said they would be back.

My immediate reaction to 'cruise ship terminal' was to think of the new pier construction and reef damage, and additional ships, in Cozumel. Over-reaction, perhaps. A new small building would not be that sort of thing.

Glen,

I was thinking Venezuela and Colombia as S.A. when I read the article, not Peru and Ecuador.

Marc - nice to know that the cruise ship passengers are spending money somewhere. As a side note, American cruise passengers seem to be better at supporting the local art community, incidentally - much better than the Germans, Dutch, and Brits (based on review of art sales during cruise ship days by a couple of artists I know really well ;-) )

Jake

I believe you Jake... When it comes to spending (and tipping!! ) I rather have Americans in the restaurant than Europeans...