As Curaçao’s soccer team prepared for their upcoming match against Ecuador, government officials from the island, recognized as the World Cup’s smallest-ever competitor, organized a two-day conference in Kansas City. The event aimed to attract American investors by showcasing Curaçao as a promising investment destination.
The Caribbean island, with a population of approximately 158,000, is situated just north of Venezuela and functions as a semi-autonomous region of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Although not a fully independent nation, Curaçao is being treated as one in the sports arena this month, and its government hopes this attention will pique the interest of foreign investors.
“Curaçao is now on an international stage, while we never thought we would be there … we want more people to know about Curaçao and invest,” said Roderick Middelhof, the island’s minister of economic development, in an interview with POLITICO.
Following the team’s qualification for the World Cup last November, Curaçao’s government swiftly began to strategize on how the event could highlight the island’s economic potential.
“When we knew that we would be going to the World Cup, the government sat together and said, ‘OK, we need to take advantage of this moment,'” Middelhof explained. “It was actually together with other ministers that we thought, ‘OK, let’s organize meetings and show people what Curaçao is now, and what Curaçao will be in a few years with expansion and investment.'”
The Kansas City conference is part of a series of events in World Cup host cities organized by the economic-development ministry in collaboration with CINEX, an agency dedicated to promoting investment opportunities in Curaçao.
The conferences aim to attract companies interested in sectors like energy, logistics, and hospitality.
“[We invite] all companies that are interested in our oil sector and also other companies that are interested in international investment, so hotel owners, energy companies. For example, we had TOTAL; Epson was also there at one of the meetings,” Middelhof noted.
“At the events we do a presentation about what Curaçao is and what Curaçao has to offer … to put Curaçao in the spotlight … around the World Cup,” he added.
Diversifying the economy beyond tourism is a key goal for the government, according to Middelhof. Although tourism remains a primary economic driver, he sees substantial potential in Curaçao’s deep-water harbor as a storage and logistics hub for international cargo, including oil.
“Our port is now really expanding, so the port of Curaçao is ready to provide storage space for other countries; it’s not just about tourism,” he said, adding: “Curaçao now has the chance to not only rely on tourism, we can strive for more … and show Curaçao is open for various businesses.”
Middelhof acknowledges that the World Cup offers a chance to enhance and further “stabilize” the island’s tourism sector, with goals to reach 1 million stay-over visitors annually. Presently, most tourists hail from the Netherlands, reflecting historical connections, but Curaçao is eager to expand its reach to a broader audience.
The island has already experienced heightened international interest since qualifying for the World Cup, Middelhof noted, citing increases in Google searches and social media activity.
“Curaçao is, for a little while, on everyone’s mind,” he said.
