WILLEMSTAD - The Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Mr. Sithree van Heydoorn, officially met with the new CEO of the Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA), Mrs. Anuschka Cova. Mrs. Cova was accompanied by two members of CHATA's board of directors: Mrs. Mimi Ludge-van Spijker (CHATA President) and Mr. Jaime Osma (CHATA board member).
One of the agenda points discussed was the education and training of our youth in the hospitality sector. This is a point of great importance for the development of our country, given that the economic pillar of tourism is growing and needs to be organized in a structured way. Together, they started looking at ways to expand the task force with CHATA, aiming to incorporate more individuals in the areas of education and culture to contribute new ideas.
Minister Sithree van Heydoorn expressed his openness to working together with CHATA, the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB), and the Ministry of Economic Development to channel and unify the training of our people so they can work in the hospitality sector. CHATA also expressed their desire to resume visits to secondary schools to provide information to our students. Spontaneous brainstorming led to models where this could be done attractively for both young people and adults. They also discussed topics such as studies, preparation, and courses for our own people, considering that by the year 2026, there will be approximately 4,000 rooms available on our island.
They reached a concrete agreement to explore the possibility of working together, including collaborating on visits to secondary schools. Minister Sithree van Heydoorn was very pleased with the meeting and wished Mrs. Cova success in her work as the CEO of CHATA.