Though the island of Curacao is only 64 kilometres long, it is jam-packed with rich culture, music, history, food and clear-water beaches, all of which leaves visitors wanting more. This is keeping in line with the island's push for tourism as its main source of income after its refinery Isla Oil Refinery downsized.
Regional manager for the Caribbean of the Curacao Tourist Board (CTB) Elaine Hart Francisca spoke to Business Day on its visit to the country – from September 1-5 – on September 2 about the influx of tourists after covid19 lockdowns, moves to make the island a must-visit destination and suggested ways tourist boards of other countries can all work together to bring foreign exchange to the entire region.
"We have reached pre-pandemic levels and surpassed (them), especially from the market of TT: (we) have seen drastic increases, with more than 200 per cent increase compared to last year."
She said this increase is owing to the expansion of Caribbean Airlines services to the island twice weekly – Tuesdays and Fridays – and Copa's flight to the island through Panama and added that the stay-over arrival count for TT from January till Monday was 5,890 people.
Francisca said aside from the Caribbean flights, the country has also entered an agreement with Corendon, from the Netherlands, which is also linked to the Corendon hotel brand. The flight will also connect to people in Germany and Amsterdam increasing the number of travellers. She added that the airline is also set to introduce the first adult-only cabin.
[caption id="attachment_1034152" align="alignnone" width="977"] Elaine Hart Francisca, regional manager of the Caribbean Curacao Tourist Board.Photo courtesy CTB -[/caption]
"Overall, tourism has been really good. We are aiming to reach half a million visitors by the end of this year."
Francisca said the influx of tourists from all over the world is a direct result of the services expansion the country has been working on, as some properties were opened – all-inclusive properties and Sandals Royal Curacao – during the covid19 pandemic, which Francisca described as, "A blessing in disguise." With the Sandals franchise in the island, she said the aim is to get more traction from the US and the Caribbean.
Coming from the airport, one can see many buildings under construction – some are apartment buildings, others hotels, – as there were not enough to cater to the spike in visitors. So far there are 8,000 rooms projected to come on the hotel market once construction is completed. She added that during Business Day's visit, all the city's hotels were completely booked.
One of these buildings will be home to the Marriott Courtyard by the end of the year, with two others to join between now and 2025.
Curacao's main source of income, she said, "used to be oil for a very long time before that downsized, so right now our main economic pillar is tourism, and I think that is also why our government is really focusing on that right now and that is why they are putting more priority on it lead
