CTB's Morella Mirabal, Winhmar Ricardo & Chandra Smouse
Lisa Dindial, CEO, Curacao Hospitality & Tourism Association
From the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Karen Empson, Executive Assistant & Anne Gerard van Leeuwen, the Consul General with Sunwing COO Andrew Dawson
Thomas Cook's Wayne Noseworthy chats with Jurandy Regina from the Floris Suite Hotel in Curacao
WestJetters Leah Irvine, Denise Sterling, Ian Smyth & Bryan Wolfenden
ACV's Dina Carlucci, Diana Rodriguez & Angela Barroso pose with Carlo Trinidad of AMResorts
As most of us in travel know, greeting customs vary greatly from country to country – from handshakes to embraces and kisses … and how many? It can get quite confusing if you’re not prepared for an extra turn of the cheek when greeting those of Dutch extraction… oh hello we’re going in for a kiss - oh 2 kisses like the Italians - wait 3 … woah, wait, what’s going on here?!
To say thank you to their tour operator partners, the Curacao Tourism Board (CTB) held a luncheon at the King Street Social Kitchen in Toronto’s Hyatt Regency. Because Curacao is a Dutch Caribbean island, guests including key representatives from Sunwing, Air Canada Vacations, WestJet, WestJet Vacations and Sunquest got plenty of practice with the “Dutch” greeting method. And they all admitted, 3 kisses are 3 times better than none!
According to the CTB, their recent growth and success is due to their partnerships with the Canadian tour operators. “Too long we’ve been pretending we could do it by ourselves,” said Lisa Dindial, CEO of the Curacao Hospitality & Tourism Association. “But without partnership, we cannot do anything.”
To date, 7,000 Canadians have visited the destination this year. It may not seem like a large number, but take into consideration that their numbers were at zero 3 years ago, 7,000 is significant. “Curacao is in the high and growing as a destination,” said Dindial.
The proof, as always, is in the lift. Only 1 weekly flight was offered during the last 2 years. This winter, service will increase to 3 weekly flights departing from YYZ operated by Sunwing, Air Canada and WestJet. “These 3 non-stop flights say a lot about the growth of our destination, but we’re not there yet. We hope to reach 10,000 Canadian visitors by the end of the year.”
Better start practicing your kiss, kiss, kiss. Curacao is ready and waiting for you.
