This was the message delivered during the 11th Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) held in Curaçao on May 8, 2007.
Founded in 1997, the CHTIC, a joint collaboration between the Caribbean Hospitality Association and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, strives to improve the investment in tourism and the operating climate across the region by creating an awareness within the investment community of the development opportunities available in the Caribbean and by stimulating a continuing flow of both equity and loan capital into the region.
Over the last decade, the Caribbean region has shown impressive economic progress; 2006 recorded a growth of around five percent. The conference highlights the importance of tourism in the expansion of the services sector, since it provides possibilities for many small and medium enterprises that are connected with or offer products and services to the industry, and thereby contributes significantly to the economic growth of the Caribbean region.
The tourism industry in Curaçao certainly has many great years of development ahead. With the modernization of the airport and the targeted marketing efforts of the Curaçao Tourism Bureau (CTB), the demand is sure to increase. This demand will create opportunities for hotels, resorts and a number of entertainment and hospitality services.
E-commerce is also one of the areas of economic development that has been supported in recent years as an opportunity to revitalize the financial and economic situation of Curaçao, using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a major source of production. The government has adopted legislation that enables the island to offer special grants to attract investors in e-commerce such as on-line gaming. Furthermore, the very favorable fiscal environment for both businesses and individuals resulted in a large number of international banks, trust companies, accounting and law firms. In addition, all of the larger international audit firms are represented on the island.
Curaçao is also very attractive for companies that are active in the oil industry in the Caribbean, since it boasts a number of excellent industrial locations on deep waterways and is home to the largest refinery in the Caribbean. The country's strategic location enables both raw materials and finished products to be shipped in and distributed easily.
E-commerce is also one of the areas of economic development that has been supported in recent years as an opportunity to revitalize the financial and economic situation of Curaçao, using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a major source of production. The government has adopted legislation that enables the island to offer special grants to attract investors in e-commerce such as on-line gaming. Furthermore, the very favorable fiscal environment for both businesses and individuals resulted in a large number of international banks, trust companies, accounting and law firms. In addition, all of the larger international audit firms are represented on the island. 
Maduro and Curiel's Bank N.V. 
