Caribbean island has “tourism boom”
A Caribbean island in the Netherlands Antilles is experiencing a “tourism boom”.
Curacao is the largest and most heavily populated of the Netherlands Antilles islands and in June this year it saw a 16.4 per cent increase in US tourist arrivals, according to figures just released by the country’s tourist board.
This increase has prompted the development of six new resorts on the island and the expansion of five existing resorts, which in total will deliver 1,241 new rooms over the next two years.
Evita Nita of the Curacao tourism board said: “We have been deeply engaged in marketing the charms of Curaçao worldwide and have conveyed the essence of the island in a manner that has seemingly enticed potential visitors and businesses from all over the world.”
She added “The world has realized, or perhaps remembered, that Curaçao is far more than just a beautiful beach; we are an authentic, real and wonderfully diverse destination that is rich in art, history, architecture, sports, cuisine and culture.”
Due to its coral reefs and 160 diving spots, located mostly off the calmer south coast of the island, Curacao has proved a popular destination for scuba-divers.
A site known as the “blue edge” has been particularly popular, as this steep drop a few hundred feet from the seashore allows divers to reach the reefs without a boat.
Source: Holiday Hypermarket
Coalition to meet on Duncan’s less self governance statement
PHILIPSBURG–Recent statements that the new countries Curacao and St. Maarten will have less autonomy compared to the Netherlands Antilles has put Constitutional Affairs Minister Roland Duncan under pressure within the coalition. He was even called a “stranger” with an own St. Maarten agenda by the FOL party during yesterday’s Curacao Island Council meeting.
The Minister told The Daily Herald that a coalition meeting has been requested based on what he had said.
He will inform Parliament as well about the latest developments on the constitutional change trajectory. Duncan said he will prepare a presentation stating his position on the trajectory.
He defended his earlier statement saying that he did not express a view about whether less autonomy was a good or a bad thing. “I only pointed out that the autonomy for Curacao and St. Maarten will be less. As far as I know, we are living in a democracy, and I’m entitled to state my opinion.?
On Tuesday the MAN political faction in Parliament requested an urgent meeting of the Central Committee to discuss the results of the October 9 negotiations that took place in The Hague on constitutional change issues.
The MAN party wants Duncan to be present in the meeting, not only based on his capacity as the Minister responsible for Constitutional Affairs, but also based on his remarks that the new countries would have less autonomy.
According to the MAN party, this goes against the April 2005 referendum held in Curacao. Member of Parliament for the MAN party Rignaal “Jean” Francisca said that they want to hear from Duncan what exactly had been discussed in the Netherlands.
“It’s still a secret what took place. Government is busy in all kinds of committees trying to receive money from the Netherlands, but it’s parliament that in the end has the last say,” Francisca stated.
He believes that in order to get financial aid from the Netherlands, government has been giving away the autonomy of the islands. “We have been giving in to the demands of the Dutch Government just to receive financial aid.”
Francisca said that the Dutch have been using the constitutional change process to re-colonise the islands. “They are paying to get the beautiful islands. More and more Dutch are coming to the islands. They come to do business in an attempt to circumvent the strict rules imposed by the European Union,” Francisca said.
Duncan?s statements were also topic of debate in a meeting of the Island Council on Tuesday. The meeting was requested by the Executive Council to give information on the October 9 negotiations.
However, MAN Island Council Member Urvin Mackaay proposed for the Island Council to hear on his statement that Cura?ao and St. Maarten would obtain less autonomy compared to the Netherlands Antilles.
But the MAN proposal was declared invalid because there weren?t enough Island Council Members present in the meeting at the time of the voting. Only 19 of the 21 Island Council members were in the meeting because PAR Island Council Member Remco Gomez and PAR Commissioner of Education Marilyn were off island.
However, when it came to voting on the proposal, the Island Council Members supporting the coalition left the meeting, leaving only the 10 opposition members in the meeting.
The rules of order state that at least half of all the Island Council members should vote to make the voting on a proposal valid. As this was not the case, Acting Lt. Governor Magali Jacoba said the proposal was invalid.
While opposition members commended Duncan for his straight forwardness on the matter, coalition members said that the Island Council had no authority to request the presence of a Minister.
“This goes against all rules. Duncan is active on Central Government level. Here the Executive Council wants to give information,” Constitutional Affairs Commissioner Zita Jesus-Leito said.
FOL Island Council Member Renfred Rojer could not understand why the opposition wanted to hear Duncan and said it was a “shame” that the opposition wanted to hear a “foreigner” instead of the Cura?ao Executive Council. According to Rojer, Duncan proved by his statements that he had an own St. Maarten agenda.
Source: The Daily Herald St. Maarten
Delta Air Lines to Offer Direct Service from Atlanta
Filed under: Airline News, Press Releases, Travel and Tourism
MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Curaçao Tourism Board announced that Delta Air Lines will be offering non-stop service from Atlanta effective December 22, 2007, making travel to Curaçao even easier for tourists nation-wide.
“We are thrilled that U.S. travelers will have another alternative that will facilitate their visit to Curaçao,” stated Evita Nita, Executive Director of Tourism for Curaçao. “We are confident that they will fall in love with Curaçao, and that they will enjoy everything that makes Curaçao Real. Different.”
Delta offers convenient weekly connections via Atlanta from over 40 U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., Boston, Hartford, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Non-stop service to and from the island will be available on Saturdays on the following schedule:
Flight Departs Arrives
653 Atlanta at 9:45 a.m. Curaçao at 3:10 p.m.
652 Curaçao at 4:00 p.m. Atlanta at 7:40 p.m.
In addition to Delta’s new service, Continental Airlines flies non-stop weekly from Newark and American Airlines offers easy connections daily from cities nationwide.
The Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao is located off the coast of South America and on the outer fringes of the hurricane belt. Curaçao offers a melting pot of diversity of history and culture. It boasts more than 35 beautiful beaches, some of the world’s top dive sites and is a UNESCO World Heritage City thanks in part to its authentic 17th century Dutch architecture. You can visit museums and art galleries, experience fine dining and local cuisine, and enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and biking. To learn more about Curaçao or to receive a free destination DVD, contact 1-800-328-7222 or visit www.curacao.com.
Contacts
For Curaçao Tourism Board, Miami
Media Contact:
Hill & Knowlton SAMCOR
Cori Zywotow Rice, 305-443-5454
Cutter Gallatin Returns Home
CHARLESTON, S.C. – A local Coast Guard cutter will return home to Charleston Tuesday at approximately 1 p.m. after a seven-week deployment in the Caribbean Sea.
The CGC Gallatin, a 39-year-old cutter, steamed more than 10,000 miles in the Caribbean Sea to keep United States shores safe while deployed in support of campaign Steel Web, the Coast Guard’s overarching counter drug strategy to reduce the supply of drugs to the U.S. by denying traffickers access to the maritime routes.
During the patrol, Gallatin saved three people from a sinking vessel off the coast of Curacao and saved two people stranded in a pleasure craft in the Florida Straits. The crew also conducted a joint boarding of a coastal freighter with the Colombian navy.
On the transit back to the Low Country, Gallatin hosted a luncheon in Key West, Fla., for The Interdiction Committee with guests including Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Roger Walters.
Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin is scheduled to deploy again later this year.
Source: Military.com
Funeral home in Curacao seeks help to bury Jamaican woman
Filed under: Government & Politics, Law Enforcement and Crime
The proprietor of a funeral home in Curacao is appealing to authorities in Jamaica to assist with the burial of a Jamaican woman who died in the island two months ago.
Owner of the El Senoryal funeral home, Charisma Henriques is crying foul because the family of Marie Bowen who died on the island on August 11 has refused to bury her.
Mrs. Henriques told our news centre that Mrs. Bowen’s daughter Claudia Thomas, who is from Olympic Gardens in Jamaica, left Curacao Tuesday without claiming her mother’s body.
“And nobody wants to bury her. The daughter says let the government bury her, the government will not bury her because there is no money to bury the Curacao people how could there be money to bury strangers,” said Mrs. Henriques.
Mrs. Henriques added that other family members have also refused to pay for the burial.
She has appealed to anyone who knew Ms. Bowen to send a birth certificate so arrangements can be made to bury her.
“We need right the papers. Although there is no money to bury her there is a place where they bury the dead dogs and animals and so on, we can make a hole there because she cannot stay in the freezer anymore,” he continued.
Source: Radio Jamaica
Prison Problems in Curacao and St. Maarten
Filed under: Government & Politics, Law Enforcement and Crime, St. Maarten News
Yet another killing in Curacao’s Bon Futuro Prison confirms that there are serious problems within the penitentiary system of the Netherlands Antilles. While there have been no such fatal incidents in the prison of St. Maarten so far, it is clear that overcrowding, a chronic shortage of manpower, lack of resources and the bad condition of parts of the facility at Pointe Blanche have created a far from healthy situation.
Because there is no room in the prison, the judges have already agreed to extend the 10 days people can be held in the police cells to 18, but that period too is regularly surpassed. This leads to considerable sentence reductions, when people are already concerned that the punishments for especially violent crimes are often not severe enough and do not act as an effective deterrent.
Justice Minister David Dick is in the Netherlands, despite the fact that the talks on the Netherlands Antilles Safety Plan were postponed because the preparations had not been concluded. The minister says he needs 300 million guilders to execute all projects that are part of the plan, while the Dutch Government has so far committed only to 21 million euros.
New prisons for both Curacao and St. Maarten are part of the plan, but if the Dutch do not give more money it is doubtful whether they realistically can be financed before the Netherlands Antilles ceases to exist. Once St. Maarten becomes an autonomous country in the Kingdom with a target date of December 15, 2008, it will take over from the Central Government responsibility for both the prison and local law enforcement, along with a host of other tasks.
What seems more realistic is to use part of the money already committed to recruit and train more guards, improve facilities and fix whatever is broken at the Pointe Blanche prison. If that is not done soon, one has to fear the situation will become worse and may eventually escalate to situations like those in Curacao, where inmates seem to have relatively easy access to weapons, drugs and cell phones, to the point where the guards have to worry more about their own safety than the prisoners they are supposed to control.
Source: The Daily Herald St. Maarten
SeaFreight Line moved up to the 32nd spot in the ranking of ocean carriers
Miami-operated SeaFreight Line moved up to the 32nd spot in the ranking of ocean carriers carrying United States exporters to the world for the first quarter of 2007.
The ranking, published by the Journal of Commerce in their July, 23 edition of the top 100 shipping lines, showed a 17 per cent growth in the carrier’s volume compared with the same period in 2006.
SeaFreight Line has been providing ocean transportation services for 15 years and currently operates 5 x 1,000 TEU and 3 x 500 TEU vessels between Florida, the Caribbean and North Coast South American Trades with its weekly fixed-day services between Jacksonville and Port Everglades and Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Margarita, Montego Bay, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Puerto Cabello and LaGuaira, Venezuela as well as twice weekly service to Kingston, Jamaica and Point Lisas, Trinidad and Tobago. The carrier offers various sizes of dry and refrigerated containers as well as accepts break bulk cargo such as voats, vehicles etc. on flat racks.
For more information contact the local SeaFreight representative at:
SeaFreight Jamaica
2 Seventh Avenue,
Newport West
Tel: 923-5541-4
Dominicans competing with foreigners for construction jobs
SANTO DOMINGO.- Foreigners are taking construction jobs away from Dominicans in violation of the Dominican Work Code, the National Federation of Construction Industry Workers, Wood and Construction Materials said Monday.
Organization president Pedro Julio Alcántara said foreign workers, mainly Haitians, currently occupy 45 percent of manual labor jobs in the construction industry. That violates the Work Code, which states that at least 80 percent of jobs must be held by nationals and mo more than 20 percent by foreigners.
Alcántara, speaking at a press conference to celebrate the anniversary of the federation, said in addition to Haitians, people from Colombia, Venezuela, and Curacao have a significant presence in the Dominican work force, particularly in technical fields and senior and mid-level management positions. However, he said Haitians are the biggest competitors for Dominican jobs because they’re willing to work for lower wages.
Author:
Alexandra Pope
Local designers a hit in Curaçao
The Bold and the Beautiful! This is how the runway show Barbados put together recently could be described as. Eight different but very talented designers brought a beautiful collection of fabulous but wearable couture showcasing the best of the Barbadian designers.
Avark, this years Best New Product Award in the product line: Fashion winner, had the task to kick off the showcase for the Barbadian section, and right away set the mood for what could be expected from Barbados. Avark, showcasing in Curaçao for the first time, sizzled with his elegant mens and womens collection; featuring casual designs made of cotton, linen, leather and burlap, using a combination of mainly creme, off white, orange and brown colors and an African print. The African inspiration used in this collection, created a sense of timelessness, which was exactly what the designers had wanted to achieve.
Next was BoUiK, which presented dramatic creations of great creativity. In this collection there were designs for both casual and evening wear. The casual wear featured both short skirts and shorts which combined bold and bright colors which gave it a very youthful and playful feel. In one design of print, polka dots were used, and in other designs, African prints. The mens design featured sleep wear which was very simple but sexy. The evening wear featured long beautiful but playful evening gowns, designed in different layers and combining the colors orange and green.
Four Seasons Colonnade followed. The mother and daughter design team presented part of their 2008 collection. This collection can be typified as a combination of elegance, boldness, and creativity, with jewellery and accessories beautifully made. The fashion designs were made of materials such as chiffon, spandex, and silks, the jewellery was made of beads, wood, pearls etc. The pink dress in the kids collection was pretty with many details that made it elegant at the same time. The bridal gown was simple but very elegant.
Last years Best Product and Product Line winner and this years runner up in Best Booth Display as well as Best New Product, Luna Designs, also presented their new collection. Luna Designs specialty is jewellery. These are mostly made from environmentally friendly materials such as wood and beads and recycled paper. Luna Designs runway presentation was excellent, and since the models were dressed in white, it brought out the beautiful combination of colors of the jewellery, which consisted of chains, earrings, anklets, rings and bags; all in bright and bold colors. This collection can be typified as creative, youthful, casual, fresh, tropical and bright.
Navazoe was the fifth to showcase their new collection. Navazoes collection was typified by beautiful matching accessories. Their specialties are mostly hats and bags for women. The designs varied from casual wear in tropical colors to more sophisticated casual wear in subdued colors. The two materials used in this collection were silk and polyester, which were combined with leather. The prints were either hand-painted, embroidered or preprinted. The handles were made of wood, beads, and have a typical Navazoe identification tag attached to them. The combination of these materials made it a very interesting collection.
Perlixins Spring & Summer 2008 Collection called Hello Africa was a feast for the eyes. A fashion collection where different styles were combined and color combinations were presented that one would not usually expect. But as the designer stated. That makes it more interesting. Most of the fabrics for the garments came from West Africa, which is recognisable in the different prints. Furthermore, waxed cotton and silk georgette were used in this collection. In this collection also, different styles were combined, such as the African style with the western idea. A much unexpected combination, but beautifully executed.
The accessories collection consisted of bags which were made of snake skins, burlap, and tweed. These materials were combined and made for some interesting designs. The Rykii de Jude Inc. collection was one of sophisticated elegance. Using the basic colors white and black with red details, resulted in designs that can be used for both casual and evening wear. In some of both the mens as well as the womens creations, the designer used a white or black basic color with very thin stripes. Very chic and very elegant. The womens wear consisted of both short and long dresses and the mens of suits.
Last, but certainly not the least, as is said, Nine One Designs presented their new jewellery collection especially made for this showcase. Using a strong blend of jewellery designs and materials, Nine One Designs presented a very unique and sophisticated creative collection for both men and women. As they state it. We dont just make jewellery, we create jewellery. The collection presented, consisted of a distinctive blend of natural materials such as shells and pearls which were combined with copper, sterling silver and 14 carat gold. The collection ranged from jewellery for casual wear, to very fine jewellery for evening wear. Curaçao certainly got a good taste of Barbadian fashion by having been presented by a good mix of great creativity, elegance and use of a great variety of wonderful materials. The Caribbean Gift & Craft Show lasted the whole weekend and ends today.
Source: Barbados Advocate
Prison worker suspected of stealing inmates money
Prosecutor to send her to Curacao prison ~
PHILIPSBURG–The Prosecutor’s Office may send E.E.R., the female Pointe Blanche Prison administrator from Aruba, to Curacao’s Bon Futuro prison for pre-trial detention and for her own protection.
E.E.R. is suspected of stealing almost NAf. 200,000, some of which belonged to prison inmates.
‘You can imagine what might happen if the inmates learn that there is someone locked up among them who is suspected of stealing their money,’ Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein told The Daily Herald on Thursday as he explained why E.E.R. probably would be sent to Curacao.
She was detained last Friday following an investigation into the disappearance of almost NAf. 200,000. She is currently being held at the Philipsburg police station’s detention facility.
Stein said some of the missing money had been sent to the prison for inmates by their relatives and some was money inmates had earned when they did work at the prison as part of their rehabilitation programme.
E.E.R. has already been seen by the Investigating Judge, who granted the prosecutor’s request to keep her detained for eight days following her first 48-hour detention.
He said that while her transfer to Cura’ao could be challenged, he believed it would be in the suspect’s best interest to be sent there.
He also said that for now there was no reason to suspect that others had been involved with E.E.R. in the theft.
Source: The Daily Herald St. Maarten