As hotel occupancy and rates continue to climb in Curacao, the island now has new leadership for its hotel association, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

Anuschka Cova has been named as the new chief executive officer of the Curacao Hotel and Tourism Association. 

Cova comes to the organization with 26 years of experience, having served most recently as the chairwoman of the Curacao International Financial Association. Previous stops included the vice presidency of the Curacao International Financial Center and membership on the Curacao Tourism Master Plan Steering Committee, among others. 

“We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Cova as the new CEO of CHATA,” said Mimi Luttge, Chairperson of CHATA. “Her experience and deep-rooted passion for the tourism industry make her the ideal candidate to lead CHATA into the future.”

Cova succeeds Jim Hopple, who had been serving as interim managing director of CHATA for the past 18 months. 

We would like to extend our immense gratitude to Mr. Jim Hepple for the outstanding job he has done over the past 18 months. We could not have asked for a better Interim Managing Director,” said Luttge. 

Curacao’s hotel sector has been booming along with the island’s tourism sector as a whole for most of the last two years, a trend that largely began with the entry of Sandals to the market back in the summer of 2022. The destination continues to see new hotel growth, from expansions to new brands Wyndham and the Curio Collection by Hilton, among others.

Another new hotel, also a Hilton, opened in Curacao at the end of last year.