Presentation to Mr. Eugene Rhuggenaath
reputation. Besides that, the fact that
these researchers have raised laboratorybred colonies of Elkhorn coral to sexual
maturity for the first time ever means that
Curaçao has top notch organizations in
the Marine Bio-prospecting and Research
sector. They essentially have an issue
with the lack of government support and
input. They are setting new frontiers for
the world but the local government is not
valuing the huge efforts and facilitating
the infrastructure and other key factors
that are needed.
What is evident is that more capital,
infrastructural and legislative support is
required from the government to assist
these two organizations in sustainably
growing their operations. With this
kind of support, marine researchers
will definitely be able to perform more
in-depth investigations and specimen
analysis in local laboratories. An
important development is that these
two organizations are more than willing
to establish a local university degree in
10
Marketing For The Future
marine biology. This degree would not only make it easier for
locals interested in the specialization, but also attract foreign
students to our island, which would contribute to increased
profits from tourism.
Curaçao’s Marine Industrial and Services sector is on the whole
the most influential of all the sectors, having a large number
of businesses operating in it and securing a formidable inflow
of foreign exchange. It is one of the major contributors to
Curaçao’s economy and the businesses currently operating in
the sector are high – level professionals. Our brand in this sector
is vastly respected all across the Caribbean and the rest of the
world.
Amidst all of the above, this sector faces a colossal barrier in