*  *  *  Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation to share with you my views on the importance of the tourism industry for the economy of Curaçao and how we can maximize its growth potential.
I firmly believe that for small open economies like ours, tourism, which is a thriving industry, provides a solid foundation for growth. Suffice it to note that while Curacao’s economic growth has averaged a disappointing 0.6% over the past 10 years, stay-over tourism in Curaçao has increased by an average of 8.1%.