WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao has introduced new rules limiting the number and type of commercial activities allowed on 18 public beaches. A maximum of 65 commercial permits will be available across the beaches for food and beverage sales, non-food businesses, cultural activities and services such as beach chair and water sports equipment rentals.
The new policy took effect on August 21 and is intended to bring greater control to commercial activity along Curaçao’s coastline.
According to the government, the absence of clear rules in the past resulted in unequal treatment of entrepreneurs, unauthorized commercial operations and increasing pressure on environmentally sensitive coastal areas. A moratorium on new permits had already been imposed while the new policy was being prepared.
Grote Knip will have the largest number of permitted commercial spots, with a maximum of eight. Playa Grandi/Piskadó will have seven, while Santa Cruz and Baya Beach will each be allowed six.
At Marie Pompoen Pier East, no commercial permits will be issued.
The maximum number applies to the entire beach area, including adjacent public parking lots. Authorities have also determined which categories of businesses can operate at each location.
Additional restrictions apply at several beaches. At Playa Jeremi, commercial stands may only operate from the parking area above the beach. Boca St. Michiel will not allow service-related businesses, while at Playa Grandi/Piskadó, fishermen and access to the boat ramp must take priority over commercial activities.
The government is also addressing the situation at Santa Cruz, where three businesses are already operating jet ski activities. No new jet ski rental permits will be issued there until the existing situation has been regularized in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN) and the Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning (VVRP).
One of the most visible changes concerns businesses renting beach chairs and umbrellas.
Operators will no longer be allowed to place their chairs and umbrellas across the beach in advance to effectively reserve sections of public beach for their customers. Instead, equipment must remain within the operator’s assigned commercial space, which may not exceed 20 square meters, until it is rented.
Once rented, the customer may decide where on the beach to place the chair or umbrella.
The policy also establishes minimum distances for commercial stands. In principle, businesses must remain at least five meters from the high-water line, three meters from beach vegetation, ten meters from toilets and waste containers, and fifteen meters from another commercial stand.
Permanent structures are prohibited. Vendors cannot anchor stalls or vehicles into the ground or construct concrete or asphalt surfaces, paving, permanent sidewalks or fixed coverings.
Environmental protection also plays a prominent role in the new rules.
Beach vegetation may not be removed or cut, while sea turtle nests and nesting areas must be protected. If a commercial location conflicts with a nesting site, the business must be moved. Feeding wild animals is also prohibited.
At beaches used by nesting sea turtles, beach chairs, umbrellas and other movable equipment must be removed after closing time or stored at a location approved by GMN.
Collecting coral, shells, stones and sand for commercial sale is prohibited. The use, sale and distribution of balloons on beaches is also banned because of the risks they pose to sea turtles, birds and other marine life.
Jet skis and other motorized recreational watercraft may not operate within 100 meters of the coastline, while anchoring on coral reefs is prohibited.
The new system also places limits on how many permits individual operators can obtain. A natural person may receive a maximum of one commercial beach permit, while legal entities may receive up to two. Exceptions can be made for cooperatives and foundations representing multiple entrepreneurs.
Existing operators who are currently doing business at a public beach without a valid permit will have six months to submit an application. Their activities will be temporarily tolerated during that period as long as they meet basic public safety and public order requirements.
After the transition period expires, authorities are expected to take enforcement action against businesses operating without the required permit.
Five other public beaches have not yet been included because the government says up-to-date inventory information is unavailable. These are Playa Guepi, Playa Forti, Slangenbaai, Hala Kanoa and Marichi. They could be incorporated into the system following a future evaluation.
The distribution of the 65 permitted commercial locations varies considerably between beaches. While Grote Knip, Playa Grandi/Piskadó, Santa Cruz and Baya Beach will accommodate the largest number of operators, Daaibooi, Directeursbaai, Monding Piscadera and Vissershaven Caracasbaai will each have only two. Marie Pompoen Pier West will have one, while Marie Pompoen Pier East will remain free of commercial stands.
With the new rules, the government aims to strike a balance between providing opportunities for entrepreneurs and preserving public access, safety and the natural environment at Curaçao’s beaches.