Curaçao 2050

Curaçao 2050

24 April 2026

From my work, I see more and more societies developing long-term visions toward 2050. Fortunately, Curaçao is not lagging behind. Recently, I participated in a session with international consultants, presumably from the United Nations Development Programme, who are working on an update of the National Development Plan.

So far, that plan seems to have remained largely a paper reality.

The group I participated in consisted of people with an affinity for higher and academic education. I was asked to kick off the discussion. My argument was simple: Curaçao is, in a sense, overdeveloped, yet at the same time vulnerable. The economy relies heavily on mass tourism and shows characteristics of a mono-structure. The economy is growing, but paradoxically so is poverty, while the middle class continues to shrink. At the same time, the population is ageing, and tensions are increasing between economic development and nature. More and more natural areas are being sacrificed.

Tourism growth will continue in the coming years, partly due to projects already in the pipeline. At the same time, there is already a shortage of labor in the sector. That creates friction.

Efforts are being made to diversify the economy. Organizations such as the Curaçao Investment & Export Promotion Agency and the National Export Strategy focus on attracting foreign investors and developing new growth sectors, such as the creative industries, the blue bio-economy, IT services, financial services, maritime activities, medical tourism, and (transnational) education.

In itself, that is a logical direction.

But what is missing is the connection.

I see little coherence with the labor market, education, and broader social issues such as poverty reduction. There appears to be no integrated narrative in which economic development, human capital, and social cohesion reinforce one another.

I try to approach this positively. In the offshore era, expats came in who created jobs for locals.

What is also missing is a convincing governance narrative. Internationally, it has become a commonplace that sustainable development is not possible without good governance. For that reason, it is time to take stock of our public governance, for example by reviewing reports from the audit office, the Council of State, and the Stichting Overheidsaccountantsbureau.

It is likely that new economic impulses will again lead to an influx of expats and the emergence of new economic ecosystems. That can be valuable. But without a coherent policy framework, growth risks becoming detached from society.

What I am missing is precisely that: a coherent narrative.

Miguel Goede