65 employees receive certificates
WILLEMSTAD- May 13, 2024 – Curaçao’s stayover tourism is experiencing an increase from all major markets, including Brazil. Currently, Brazil is among the top 5 markets from which Curaçao receives the most stayover tourists. In 2023, Curaçao closed the year with over 26 thousand stayover visitors from Brazil. In the first quarter of this year alone, Curaçao received 10,552 stayover visitors from Brazil. This increase is attributed to the growth in air connectivity, including the new direct flight from Brazil introduced in June last year. Considering the growing number of Brazilian visitors, the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) organized a Basic Portuguese course for tourism industry employees who have direct contact with tourists. 65 tourism industry employees completed the course and received their certificates from the Minister of Economic Development, Mr. Ruisandro Cijntje.
The course was offered over 10 weeks, divided into sessions twice a week for two hours each. The instructor for this language course was Mr. Márcio Hypólito Pinto, a Portuguese language professional from Brazil. The course consisted of interactive sessions, phrase formulation, conversation, pronunciation, assignments, and tests. For the participants, the course provided a tremendous opportunity to acquire the necessary tools to feel more comfortable when communicating with Brazilian tourists. Participants included workers in accommodation, transportation, diving, airport, immigration, customs, tour guiding, tourist attractions, as well as some employees from the Ministry of Economic Development and CTB itself.
CTB remains dedicated to investing in programs aimed at enhancing the overall tourist experience.
