WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) has described 2025 as a challenging yet meaningful year for the island’s tourism industry, marked less by record figures and more by resilience, reflection, and unity within the sector.
Speaking during CHATA’s New Year gathering held this week at Villa Maria in Scharloo, CEO Anuschka Cova said the past year forced the sector to confront difficult but necessary questions. According to Cova, 2025 was not simply about growth in visitor numbers or revenues, but about how the industry responds to pressure and change.
She pointed to persistent challenges in staffing, education, and sustainable development as central themes throughout the year. “These were not theoretical discussions,” Cova noted. “They were issues we dealt with every single day, while trying to ensure that growth does not come at the expense of what makes Curaçao unique.”
CHATA Vice Chair Peggy Croes echoed that assessment in her opening remarks, stating that despite the obstacles, the tourism sector delivered solid results for the island. She said 2025 demonstrated that Curaçao’s hospitality industry has matured into a strong and cohesive pillar of the economy, capable of adapting under pressure.
Rather than framing success purely in economic terms, CHATA emphasized the importance of long-term responsibility. The organization highlighted the need to balance continued tourism development with investment in local talent, improved training, and the protection of Curaçao’s cultural and environmental assets.
According to CHATA, the lessons learned in 2025 will shape the sector’s priorities moving forward. With labor shortages, education gaps, and sustainability remaining high on the agenda, the association believes the experiences of the past year have strengthened cooperation across the industry.
While acknowledging that the road ahead will not be without challenges, CHATA concluded that 2025 proved the tourism sector’s capacity to adapt, remain united, and continue contributing meaningfully to Curaçao’s broader development.