Kralendijk- Representatives of local Government and the tourism industry are this morning discussing the future of the Cruise Industry on the island.

Commissioner Tjin Asjoe indicated that the island stood at a cross road when it came to the future of the industry on the island. “Are we going totally high-end with only small and the most exclusive operators, or do we want to go a different way?”

After a short introduction by Government, harbor master Gunther Flanegin gave an overview of the challenges with which the industry is being faced. Flanegin also indicated that the crisis also offered a unique opportunity to define the future of the industry on the island.

Resumption?

Apart from the question what type of cruise industry the island wants to have, an important question is when the cruise companies are ready to resume operations to the island. At present only Pullmantour has indicated that they may return in the Middle of November, but that is not 100% sure either. “It is possible that we won’t see any cruise ships till next year”, said Hennyson Thielman on behalf of Local Government.