Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire must favour higher-spending tourists
Hans Hoogervorst, chair of the Cft fiscal watchdog, says Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire must make hard choices on tourism, including withdrawing some tax benefits for hotels.
Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire must make hard choices on tourism and favour visitors who spend more, says former minister Hans Hoogervorst, chair of the Colleges financieel toezicht (Cft).
The Cft is an independent body that supervises government finances in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. Hoogervorst, a former VVD minister, says the islands have posted impressive growth figures in recent years, but that the growth is hurting the environment and quality of life.
On Curaçao the effects are clearly visible, he says: in the make-up of the population, because of the use of foreign workers, and in nature and on the roads.
Curaçao has high hotel room occupancy, but is fairly cheap. Dare to choose tourists who spend more, so that tourism earns more.Hans Hoogervorst, chair of the Cft
Hoogervorst also wants hotels' tax position reviewed. "In the past hotels received tax benefits. It is now time to look at that critically and withdraw them in part," he says.
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Cft (Colleges financieel toezicht)
The Colleges financieel toezicht is an independent Kingdom body that supervises the public finances of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. It checks whether their governments follow sound budgeting and financial rules, and it can step in when public finances are at risk. Its role matters because it helps keep these countries' budgets in order within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.