Q & A with Clifton R. M. WalleExecutive Chief of the Curacao Tourism Office

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Curacao is no doubt one of the Caribbean´s most amazing islands. Over fifty different nationalities have merged into the population of this tiny paradise, and that means an incredible variety of languages, races and cultural traditions that makes up this small and cosmopolitan island nation.

And it´s exactly this multicultural formation one of its major attractions from a tourist viewpoint. And even though this island doesn´t rely exclusively on travel and tourism, it´s going at great lengths to be up to par with its neighboring territories in the Caribbean.

With that view in mind, local authorities will be investing $700 million in the course of the next three or four years to build on infrastructure. As many as $7 million will be earmarked for promotion in Europe, its number-one outbound market.

Q.- What´s the policy Curacao is holding on to in a bid to reach out to markets other than the U.S.?

A.- As we speak, the Europe is Curacao´s major outbound market, a market that kind of goes a little bit against the grain compared to other Caribbean nations. Right now, the European market accounts for 40 to 42 percent of the total number of foreign arrivals to Curacao. Our second-largest market is the U.S., followed by Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. The fourth place is the Caribbean itself, especially from such countries as the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Aruba.

We´re also engaged in a highly aggressive marketing policy to beam the European market, focusing more on the Dutch, Belgian, German and Scandinavian markets.

We´re also determined to take our marketing policy to those countries that don´t have historic ties with the Caribbean. But I can tell you we´ve got plans in the offing to raise the bar in the Spanish market, as well as in Portugal and Italy. That´s going to be for sure our approach in 2007.

At the same time, there´re plans to develop new hotels and resorts on the island, We want to double the amount of hotel rooms over the next three to four years. Curacao needs to grow in markets like Spain, Portugal and Italy, and these actions are aimed at doing just that.

Q.- How many rooms does the island count on right now?

A.- Right now, the island has some 3,000 rooms.

Q.- How large is the cruise terminal in Curacao?

A.- For the time being, our cruise terminal is large enough to accommodate as many as half a dozen vessels. Nevertheless, we´re considering the opening of a second pier, better yet a mega pier, just to let in much bigger ships.

Q.- What can Curacao offer Caribbean and South American travelers that other Caribbean island don´t have?

A.- Indeed, Curacao is quite different to other Caribbean islands. In addition to sun-and-sand offers, the population of Curacao makes a difference in the Caribbean region. This is a small island with a population of 130,000 inhabitants from fifty different nationalities. We speak English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento, which is our official language. There are also people on the island who speak French, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Q.- Safety and security used to be Curacao´s weakest link. What´s the country doing to guarantee tourists´ safety in and out of the hotels?

A.- Well, I must say we have what´s probably one of the best security systems in the Caribbean. We want to tell tourists visiting Curacao that the entire island is the limits they have, rather than just the boundaries of the all-inclusive hotel they´re staying at. They should feel free to walk out of their hotel.

Q.- What investments is Curacao planning to put the island nation on the map before the eyes of Europe? Can you give us an estimates in millions of dollars you´re going to spend on promotion in the European market?

A.- I must say to you that Curacao will be investing a lump sum of $700 million into the local travel industry over the next three to four years. A considerable chunk of that money will be poured into hotels, the building of a new airport, a new cruise terminal, and the monuments that we have on the island.

As to the amount of money to be spent in the European market, that figure is in the neighborhood of $7 million.

Q.- Is there any Spanish group considering the possibility of building hotels in Curacao?

A.- We´ve been in touch with some groups, like Barceló, and we´re waiting to hear from them. We´ve also held initial talks with Meliá, RIU and Bahia Principe.

Q.- You used to have good relations with Portugal since you even planned a charter flight with the Abreu Group. Now those ties are gone. Are you planning to pick them up where you left off?

A.- I believe those ties were cut off in the past due to concentrations in certain markets. But as I said earlier, we´re determined to win back the markets in Spain, Portugal and Italy. That´s why contacts with Spanish hotel chains are also going to be important for the future.

To us, both Spain and Portugal are logical markets and we´re seriously considering our entering those markets with a slogan that reads, “In Curacao We Speak Your Language.”

Q.- Is there anything else you´d like to add?

A.- We´re very pleased to put our island nation on the tourist map for the Spanish-speaking market, especially in the case of Spain.