WILLEMSTAD - According to the Curaçao Restaurant Association (CRA), Curaçao misses out on many tourists due to, among other things, the mandatory quick test 3 days after arrival. The test would cost a lot of extra money, time and hassle that the tourist does not want. The island has to get rid of that if it is up to the CRA.
The restaurant association has looked with envious eyes at the visitor figures of sister island Aruba last month because of the big difference with Curaçao. Aruba received almost 60,000 tourists in April and Curaçao just over 3,500.
“So it seems clear that we need to make great strides quickly to attract many more tourists,” says the CRA. Given the current contamination figures, Curaçao must, according to the CRA, receive tourists again "with open arms" so that they "can enjoy a free and accessible island".
The mandatory antigen test on the third day of arrival is a barrier for travelers, according to the CRA. “Because of the extra costs, but also the practical details of filling in and uploading the forms before departure, little possibility of online payment and then a visit to a lab during the holidays. An entry-level PCR test seems more than sufficient to keep out contamination. In addition, we have now had no infections for a number of days, so there have been no positive antigen tests.”
Incidentally, abolishing the antigen test is not yet sufficient for the CRA. The restaurant association is calling for more flexibility. In addition, restaurants should stay open longer and be able to receive more guests, without any rules on capacity.
It should also be possible in the "very short term" to be able to travel freely to Curaçao with a vaccination certificate, so without a PCR test. According to the CRA, this could not only apply to travelers from the other islands, but also to tourists from the Netherlands and the US.