The Real Impact of New Hotel Developments in Curacao
June 14, 2024
On this new day, another hotel on the west side had a groundbreaking ceremony or reached its highest point. While this might seem like good news at first glance, let us closely examine the issue.
Currently, Curacao is seeing a surge in construction projects aimed at wealthy foreigners. Politicians tell us that these high-end developments will drive economic growth and improve life for everyone on the island. However, the reality is more complex and less optimistic.
In truth, politicians often receive favors for facilitating these projects. While these developments create numerous jobs, most of these positions are low-paying. This dynamic forces more locals into these underpaid jobs. Hotel owners frequently report difficulty finding local workers, leading to the necessity of importing labor. This influx of wealthy and foreign workers drives up living costs, making the island prohibitively expensive even for those with steady employment.
Once stable and secure, the middle class is now struggling to make ends meet. Despite inflation, wages have stagnated, stretching paychecks thin by the end of the month. This economic strain is causing many to leave the island for better opportunities elsewhere.
The island's educational system continues to produce bright young minds, but many of these students plan to study abroad and never return. Curacao, unfortunately, offers them little in terms of career prospects. They will visit for vacations or to see family, but their professional lives will flourish elsewhere.
The e-gaming sector is expanding rapidly and experiencing significant development. However, its opacity raises concerns. While new laws are being written to improve transparency, current efforts are insufficient to build widespread trust.
Instead of focusing on luxury hotels, it would be more beneficial to stimulate the agriculture and ICT software development sectors. These industries promise better-paying jobs and a more sustainable economic future for Curacao. Investing in these areas can create opportunities that encourage our youth to stay and contribute to the island's growth.
While new hotels might symbolize progress to some, the broader impact tells a different story. We must rethink our development strategies to ensure they benefit all residents of Curacao, not just a wealthy few or those in political power. Sustainable and inclusive economic growth should be our ultimate goal, creating a brighter future for everyone on our beautiful island.
Miguel Goede
Certainly! Instead of focusing on luxury hotels, it would be more beneficial to boost the agriculture and IT software development sectors, not to mention the aviation sector.
The aviation sector also has the potential to create ripple effects that will contribute to sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth and promise better-paying jobs.
Investing in the aviation industry creates opportunities that encourage our youth to stay and contribute to the island's growth. Especially when the national export strategy focuses on improving the air transport sector, and the Dutch Caribbean islands focus on increasing connectivity, and the national goal to work towards a robust, safe and environmentally friendly aviation industry.
We certainly need to review our development strategies to ensure that all Curaçao…