CARPHA Launches the Curaçao Tourism and Health Program, Advances Visitor-Based Surveillance
The Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN) and the Ministry of Economic Development (MEO), in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), officially launched Curaçao’s Tourism and Health Program (THP) on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the Directorate of Risk Control and Disaster Management, showcasing Curaçao’s commitment to building a safer, healthier and more resilient tourism sector.
The launch of the THP signifies the strengthening of the relationship between Health and Tourism in Curaçao as well as the partnership with CARPHA through its Regional Tourism and Health Program. It further solidifies the national commitment to integrate health and tourism to ensure resilience and long-term sustainability of tourism in Curaçao, in addition to protecting the health and well-being of both visitors and locals.
At this milestone event, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA, highlighted the importance of the THP, stating, “The THP is critically important in today’s rapidly shifting geopolitical and public health landscape, where diseases can cross borders faster than ever before through global travel and trade. In the Caribbean, this is even more critical given the region’s highly interconnected and sometimes porous borders”.
His Excellency Mr. Gilmar Pisas, Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Environment and Nature, charged with Environment and Nature indicated, “Health and tourism are inextricably linked, strong tourism and health programme protects Curaçao and this protection starts with well-equipped hospitals, well-functioning laboratories and reliable surveillance systems. Early warning response is the backbone of safe tourism. We thank Dr. Lisa Indar and her team for assisting us in joining the regional Tourism and Health Program”.
The launch formed part of a three-day in-country mission led by Dr. Indar, Mr. Keston Daniel, Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator and Ms. Samantha Llanos, Epidemiologist- Visitor-Based Surveillance from August 12–14, 2026. The mission aimed at strengthening tourism and health collaboration while enhancing Curaçao’s technical capacity for visitor-based surveillance, through the following key activities:
- High-level engagement and sensitisation session on the overall Tourism and Health Program for key stakeholders in the health and tourism sector, including Mr. Sharlon Melfor, Secretary General, GWN, Ms. Zulaika Mook, Acting Secretary General and Director of Economic Development and Innovation Division MEO, Dr. Iralice Jansen, Acting Chief Medical Officer, GMN, and other stakeholders from GWN, MEO, Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) and the Curaçao Tourism Board (CTB).
- Discussion and demonstrations of CARPHA’s visitor-based, electronic, real-time confidential surveillance systems, the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), Mass Gathering Surveillance System (MGSS) and Caribbean Vessel Surveillance System (CVSS), with stakeholders from the Ministry of Health and port operations. Stakeholders explored how these systems could be adapted to Curaçao’s tourism environment to support earlier detection of public health threats and more timely response in hotels, cruise and other tourism-related settings.
- High-level engagements with representatives from the Ministries of Tourism and Health, with a particular focus on the role of the tourism sector in advancing health and safety. The meeting was attended by the Honourable Minister of Tourism, Roderick Middelhof, MEO, Mr. Quincy Sintiago, Senior Advisor to the Minister, MEO, Mr. Guido Rojer, Policer Advisor to the Minister, MEO, Mr. Sharlon Melfor, Secretary General, GMN and other representatives from GMN. Discussions focused on establishing a national Tourism and Health Steering Committee and leveraging CARPHA’s surveillance tools, including THiS, CVSS and MGSS, to support the early detection and response to public health threats in various tourism-based settings.
- CARPHA handed over two (2) data entry tablets and two (2) copies of the Regional Guidelines for Managing Public Health Issues in Hotel-Based Accommodations, one each to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism.
- Debriefing discussions on priority next steps for strengthening and expanding Curaçao’s Tourism and Health Programme, including continued stakeholder sensitisation, targeted training and capacity-building, and the strengthening of national systems to detect and respond to public health threats.
The mission reinforced the shared commitment of CARPHA and Curaçao to building a resilient tourism sector underpinned by strong health surveillance, cross-sector collaboration, and the capacity to anticipate and respond effectively to public health threats. This mission was made possible through CARPHA’s Pandemic Fund Project, “Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (RG-T4387)”.
