Curacao Officially Welcomes Hyatt Regency
CURACAO, December 8, 2005. The ceremonial groundbreaking of the 350-room luxury Hyatt Regency Curacao took place on Thursday, December 1, 2005 attended by a flurry of tourism and hotel officials.
Dr. Emsley D. Tromp, President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles, made opening remarks welcoming the Hyatt and reflecting on the tremendous economic impact the project will have for the island.
Ivar Asjes, Curacao's Minister of Economic Affairs and Tourism was also in attendance to lend his support for the project, "The ceremonial groundbreaking is a milestone for the island of Curacao. This project is a symbol of the growth and prosperity that we have to look forward to as we continue to implement the infrastructure needed to accommodate the growth in tourism to our island. We welcome the Hyatt family and know it will be a successful union for everyone involved," commented Asjes.
The ceremony, at which Smeets and Pritzker placed the first shovel in the ground, officially marks the start of the construction of the mixed use Santa Barbara Plantation project. The project will encompass not only the luxury Hyatt Regency Curacao hotel, but also as a 30-slip marina, beach club, 52 vacation club units, 128 condominium homes, 106 residential lots and 94 terrace homes.
The Curacao government supported the initiative with a soft loan of $16 million. The total investment for the first phase of the project is approximately $104 million. An estimated 700 people will be employed as a result of this project during its construction and an additional 700 permanent jobs once it is complete. "With our continued growth in tourism from the U.S. market, we need the rooms in order to accommodate the increase in visitors. We expect visitor numbers to continue to climb as steps are put into place to encourage tourism, starting with the launch of a new non-stop flight from Newark to Curacao on Continental beginning December 17, 2005," Asjes said. Completion of the Hyatt Regency Curacao is planned for late 2007.
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