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Anti Violence Project 1 Curaçao launches new web site for gay travelers 1/05 2 Curaçao courts gay travelers 1/05 3 Live and let live, says the island of Curaçao 4/05 4 Becky Alter: out, professional, touring musician finds gay-friendly bar in Curacao 7/07 1 Willemstad, Curacau - “Live and let live” That is the philosophy on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, which has just launched an alternate lifestyle website for visitors, www.gaycuracao.com. The website is specifically developed to showcase the island as a “gay friendly” destination. It is a unique and in-depth resource for the gay traveler looking for a little help in navigating the island and knowing where to stay and what to do and see. The Curaçao Tourist Board is committed to welcoming all visitors to the island and hope that this new integrated tool will help spread the word to the gay and lesbian community and encourage travel. “We understand that travelers are concerned about how they will be welcomed and if their lifestyle choice is understood when visiting a destination,” commented Jim Hepple, director of tourism. “This website not only shows that we are open to all walks of life, but that we embrace it and have attractions and hotels that specifically support the lifestyle.” Gaycuracao.com highlights the many hotels on island that are members of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association and provides a listing of places to gather and meet other gay travelers, as well as locals. The website lists the weekend hot spots, citing Limbo Bar, Curaçao’s official gay bar, or Mambo Beach as the place to be every Saturday night while TuTu Tango, Jacob’s Bar at Hotel Kura Hulanda, Wet & Wild and De Gouverneur are the Thursday, Friday and Sunday night hot spots.
(Right) Picture of downtown Willemstad - island of Curaçao Additionally, visitors to the website can find an overview of the island, its location and history, island activities and highlights and links for making travel arrangements. The island of Curaçao, located outside of the hurricane belt, boasts an eclectic mix of history and culture, which has served to create a Caribbean experience like no other. Also
known for its eco-tourism and pristine diving
conditions, Curaçao
attracts the adventure traveler as well as those looking to unwind
and enjoy its perfect climate. Visitors to Curaçao will enjoy
an 18-hole championship golf course, casinos and much more. More information: info@gaycuracao.com
January 23, 2005 2
by Nelson
Alcantara, Los Angeles (eTurboNews) The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) said it is committed to welcoming
all visitors to the island and hope that this new integrated tool will
help spread the word to the gay and lesbian community and encourage
travel. The Website is specifically developed to showcase
the island as a “gay-friendly” destination. “It
is a unique and in-depth resource for the gay traveler looking for
a little help in navigating the island and knowing where to stay and
what to do and see,” CTB said. From Becky Alter to GlobalGayz.com June 29, 2007 4 My name
is Becky Alter. I am an out, professional, touring musician from
the US and have found an amazingly gay-friendly bar in
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles called De Tropen, at which to perform several
shows over
the course of the next month and a half. I met with them last night
and they encouraged me to reach out to the gay community here on
the island. Being that I'm a starving, touring artist, I'm hoping
that you might be willing to post a listing of the show (and any
other shows that you think would be interesting). This
has been my best experience with a mixed, open-minded venue to
date. i will
also
be playing at Hook's Hut, The Blues Bar, and possibly a few other
venues between now and the end of July.
December 08, 2007 5 by Julia Steinecke, Special to the Star Curaçao's tourism board has been hyping the island's gay-friendly vibe since 2004 when it launched a dedicated website at gaycuracao.com. Now there are 17 businesses in the IGLTA (International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association: traveliglta.com), the highest membership for the Caribbean. Everyone credits the Dutch influence, here in the Netherlands Antilles; I'd also acknowledge the local multicultural mosaic for creating an environment where diversity is the norm. Most residents speak Papiamentu which is a sensuous blend of Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, English, native Arawak and West African tongues. Negotiating sexual orientation is still complex for locals – most islanders attend churches, some of which quietly condemn. Nandy and Julie say Curaçao is friendly as long as you're not in people's faces. I look down and notice Julie is holding Nandy's hand and tickling the inside of her palm as we talk in loud voices in the middle of the Belle Terrace. Like, not making out in public, they clarify. We pile into their pickup truck and ride through the deserted streets of Willemstad. Downtown, we pass a lit-up square full of tall blond students drinking Amstel. These are The Interns, who come from Holland every year to get experience in their fields and work on their sunburns. We coast by Lyric's, the gay bar, with its rainbow flag and its list of rules in Papiamentu. Taboos include palabra insolente, (insolent or rude words) uso di droga (use of drugs) and ningun arma (weapons). We end up back in the east end, at Mambo Beach, which is packed with a young multiculti crowd. Nandy and Julie introduce a few people and begin their running commentary. "He's nice, but I don't know about his friends ... She's a lesbian but it looks like she's playing it straight tonight." The next day, over lunch, another local continues: "That guy's wife had an affair with another woman and left him. He's gay but he married another woman, way younger. She's bi, I think ..." On a small island like this, there's no real closet. During our visit, we learn about a male couple who've adopted two children; and a suburb called Barragan where eight gay couples have bought houses. Everyone talks about the multi-millionaire businessman/philanthropist who helped kick-start gay tourism marketing when his Hotel Kura Hulanda took out one of the first IGLTA memberships. As for his orientation, Jacob Gelt Dekker tells me: "I have a close family of friends, male and female, with whom I shared the last 45 years." Between chats with locals, we visit some of the 35 beaches, cozy coves with good snorkelling. We tour Willemstad with its candy-coloured buildings, and cross the unique Swinging Old Lady bridge. We eat mero fillet with truffle butter, and stoba (beef stew) with polenta sticks. On my last day, alone, I wander the streets of Otrobanda, the less touristy side of Willemstad. I pop in and out of discount clothing stores, then pause to watch a children's demonstration. Hundreds of students in neatly pressed school uniforms carry signs asking for "Respect! No lineups! Medical care!" Near the bridge, I board a minivan taking a circuitous road to the airport. Not all of the island is scenic (there's the Isla Oil Refinery) but I enjoy this route through several residential neighbourhoods. Passengers greet me as they climb on and off. The music starts slow tempo, with a Papiamentu version of Shania Twain's Still the One. Then it moves into salsa. By the time we reach the airport, everyone is dancing in their seats, including the driver, who's waving her hand in the air. |
One of
the other key features of the website is its bulletin boards where
past visitors
can share their experiences on island and potential
travelers can ask questions and seek advice. “The bulletin board is a great community
building tool,” Hepple said. “Plus people are often more
reassured and feel a greater level of comfort to hear an endorsement
of the island’s gay-friendliness from an independent traveler
rather then an island sponsored website, and they can find that here.”