McLaughlin welcomes visiting premier from Curaco

(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin welcomed a regional leader this morning when Curacao’s Prime Minister Ivar Asjes came to the Cayman Islands. The two leaders met privately at the Legislative Assembly Building where they discussed tourism, budgets, economic diversification and the challenges of being Overseas Territories. Curacao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in October 2010 in a change of constitutional status, which dissolved the Netherlands Antilles.  Asjes is the fourth and current Prime Minister of Curacao, having taken over office in June this year.

McLaughlin learned that Curacao has one mega pier for berthing large cruise ships and that a second pier is being contemplated, officials stated. He told Asjes about the efforts on Grand Cayman to put in a berthing pier through proper tendering and public/private partnerships.  Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell joined the pair to share tourism ideas and the way Curacao has been able to waive certain visa requirements to entice tourism.