LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear readers,

The inner city of Willemstad has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage list for 20 years and has yet to be developed to its full potential, not only as a shopping and cultural center, but surely as a residential area.

In terms of the shopping area, the case for expanding the tax- and duty-free concept and maximizing the number of products available in this framework is in its final stages. The cultural role of the inner city too is being highlighted, and the residential function revived through several physical and fiscal incentives for those wanting to live the “city life.” While the inner city is thriving, numerous investments in both new buildings and the renovation of older monuments in the Pietermaai district are also adding to the city experience, and in Otrobanda, the new hospital is being built, creating room for growth, revitalization and repositioning. This edition aims to highlight the potential of these developments and what this means for Curaçao.

Besides expanding the development of the inner city of Willemstad, Curaçao is revisiting the future of the energy sector, and the maritime, logistics, and tourism sectors through renewed investment in the dry dock, the harbor and the positioning of Curaçao as a unique destination in the global tourism market. Results are being achieved through foreign investments into these pillars of our economy. The cover story of this edition therefore features the Curaçao Port Authority and the future of Curaçao’s harbors.

If you have any questions or need any information with respect to this edition or any other actual or foreseen developments in Curaçao’s economy, please do not hesitate to contact us. The Curaçao Chamber of Commerce is your partner!

Kind regards,
Willem “Billy” Jonckheer