Curaçao: Paradise, Despite Everything
Oktober 1, 2024
No matter how you look at it, Curaçao remains a paradise on earth, despite everything we do to the environment and how we treat each other. The island—Mama Kòrsou—continues to save her ungrateful children from themselves. For now.
Take tourism, for example. It is booming, and not because our product is flawless. In fact, it is thriving almost in spite of itself. Last week, I found myself sitting with a friend at one of the top terraces on the island, enjoying a coffee. As we sipped, we both felt like having something small with our drinks. So, I asked the young waitress for a saucijzenbroodjes. She looked at me with confusion and asked, “What’s that?” My friend tried to clarify, “It’s like a pastechi?” She was still unsure.
This was not an isolated experience. That same week, on Saturday, my wife and I went out for breakfast at a restaurant that caters to the higher-end market. A young waitress came over to take our order, with another waitress trailing closely behind her—it turns out she was being trained. I asked for a simple tostie. Once again, I was met with a blank stare. She did not know what a tostie was.
It made me wonder about the level of training in our hospitality industry. It is as if many of the young people working in these spaces are familiar with certain aspects of the world but somehow discon-nected from others. They know modern influences, perhaps what’s popular globally, but there is a gap when it comes to local and tradi-tional products, or even basic international items like a tostie.
And yet, the island thrives. Curaçao’s tourism continues to grow, despite the gaps in service. The beaches, the vibrant colors of the buildings, and the island’s natural beauty seem to make up for any deficiencies in hospitality. Tourists do not necessarily come here because we offer the most polished experience; they come because of the island itself. The clear blue waters, the stunning landscapes, the charm of the colonial architecture—these are what keep people coming back.
It is almost as if Curaçao compensates for the human flaws with its natural gifts. Tourists may encounter a lack of knowledge or un-derstanding in service, but they are still captivated by the environment. The island is beauty is like a safety net, catching any shortcom-ings in experience and ensuring that, despite everything, the allure remains.
But how long can we rely on this? How long can we let the island’s natural gifts carry the weight of our failings? Right now, Curaçao’s appeal is strong enough to overlook certain aspects, but as tourism grows, so do expectations. Visitors are more informed and have access to experiences around the world. If the service does not match the beauty, we might eventually reach a point where our natural re-sources alone won’t be enough.
And let us not forget, nature is fragile. For all the things we’re doing to the environment—overdevelopment, pollution, deforestation—there’s no guarantee that Mama Kòrsou can keep saving us from our-selves. We are pushing the boundaries, and if we do not start treating our island with the care it deserves, we may not have these natural advantages to fall back on.
It is also worth asking what it says about us as a society. How is it that young people working in restaurants do not know what a saucijzenbroodje or a tostie is? It suggests a disconnect, not just in the hospitality industry but in how we are training and preparing our workforce. We should be building a hospitality sector that reflects the richness of our culture and meets international standards. If we want tourism to be sustainable in the long term, we cannot rely on the island’s natural beauty alone. We need to match it with knowledge, service, and care.
Despite everything we do to Curaçao—both to its nature and in the way we interact with each other—the island continues to provide. It is almost like a forgiving parent, endlessly patient with its unruly chil-dren. But that patience is not infinite. We need to recognize that we cannot take this paradise for granted. If we do not start making changes, the day may come when Mama Kòrsou can no longer protect us from the consequences of our actions.
For now, the beaches, the colors, and the unique atmosphere will continue to draw people in. But if we truly want Curaçao to remain the paradise it is, we need to stop relying solely on nature’s gifts. It is time to look at how we treat the island, how we prepare our people, and how we can build a future that honors both the environment and the human connections that make this place special.
Miguel Goede
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