The Shore Will Eventually Turn the Ship Around

The Shore Will Eventually Turn the Ship Around

2 October 2026

It is so exhausting. The shore will eventually turn the ship around.

Yesterday, I read in the newspaper that, after a multi-day conference, Aruba wants to take a different course with tourism. Growth should no longer be measured by the number of visitors. It comes down to more quality instead of quantity.

Today, the editorial in the Antilliaans Dagblad raises the question of whether this is still possible. A few days ago, Curaçao said the same thing. But it turns out that it is already a given that the number of hotel rooms will have grown from 12,500 to 20,000 by 2030.

Construction is taking place all over the island. Yesterday, I drove through Pietermaai and in and out of Punda again, and the whole area is one big construction site.

Today, I read in the newspaper that the chairwoman of CHATA sighs that the pace of growth needs to slow down. She just does not understand. It is not about the pace; it is about the growth itself. We should not be aiming for zero growth, but for negative growth. As early as January 2023, I called for a moratorium. Once again, I was ahead of my time.

Further on in the newspaper, I read that the Prime Minister, who is also Minister of GMN, has signed a new permit legalizing the construction of breakwaters by a five-star hotel, at the expense of the neighborhood and the coral.

In a letter to the editor, a reader from Aruba writes that nature has no voice.

We just keep going.

And I can and will keep writing.

Miguel Goede