TUI Colourful Cultures Curaçao
Otrobanda, one of the historic districts of Willemstad and part of Curaçao’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. Through the efforts of the Kaya Kaya Movement, neglected streets and public spaces have been revitalised with more than 80 murals, community projects and cultural events that celebrate local identity and creativity. Today, the neighbourhood has become one of Curaçao’s most vibrant cultural destinations.
Despite this success, many of the economic benefits generated by tourism remain concentrated in coastal and resort areas. Whilst thousands of visitors pass through Willemstad every year, local artists, tour guides and small businesses in Otrobanda often lack structured opportunities to benefit from this visitor economy. At the same time, Kaya Kaya’s community programmes continue to depend heavily on grants, sponsorships and seasonal events.
TUI Colourful Cultures Curaçao addresses this challenge by helping Kaya Kaya professionalise its existing Artwalkastry street art tour, transforming it into a year-round cultural tourism experience. It strengthens tour operations, trains local guides, improves visitor infrastructure, integrates local businesses into the visitor journey and connects the experience to international tourism markets. By attracting more visitors into the heart of Willemstad and creating stronger links between tourism and local enterprise, the project spreads the benefits of tourism more widely across the community and creates a sustainable revenue stream that supports Kaya Kaya’s wider social and neighbourhood development activities.
Whilst many visitors experience the island of Curaçao through its beaches, resorts and coastal attractions, Otrobanda offers something equally valuable: culture, history, creativity and community. Over recent years, Kaya Kaya has worked alongside residents, artists and local organisations to transform the neighbourhood through public art, cultural programming and community-led revitalisation. What began as an annual festival has evolved into a year-round movement focused on fostering pride, dignity and opportunity within the community.
Today, Otrobanda is home to more than 80 murals and public art installations that tell the stories of local people and celebrate the area’s identity. Beyond the artwork itself, Kaya Kaya has supported social housing improvements, restored public spaces and helped create a renewed sense of community pride. These efforts have changed how residents and visitors experience the neighbourhood.
However, the challenge now is sustainability.
Whilst the annual Kaya Kaya Festival attracts thousands of visitors, much of the economic impact remains concentrated around specific events. The neighbourhood needs a reliable, year-round mechanism that converts visitor interest into ongoing economic opportunities for local people and sustainable income for community initiatives.
In 2025, Kaya Kaya launched the Artwalkastry tour to begin addressing this challenge. The tour introduces visitors to Otrobanda’s murals, history and community stories through guided walks led by local people. Although the concept has proven successful, it currently operates at a fraction of its potential. The tour reaches around 25 visitors per month, despite having the capacity to welcome up to 400 visitors monthly with the right systems, training and market access in place.
TUI Colourful Cultures Curaçao focuses on unlocking this potential.
The project transforms Artwalkastry from a promising community initiative into a professional cultural tourism product, capable of operating year-round and reaching international tourism markets. Rather than creating a new attraction, the project strengthens an existing one by improving its quality, visibility and commercial viability.
A key component is the development of a more structured visitor experience. Formal tour routes, enhanced visitor storytelling and improved artwork interpretation through signage and QR codes allow visitors to learn more about the murals, artists and neighbourhood, whilst also encouraging tour bookings. New murals and public-space improvements further strengthen the visitor experience and help maintain the attractiveness of the area for both residents and tourists.
The project also invests directly in local people. Ten residents receive training and certification as professional tour guides, creating new employment opportunities connected to Curaçao’s growing tourism sector. By prioritising local residents, the project ensures that tourism creates economic opportunities within the community rather than simply bringing visitors into it.
Local businesses are another important part of the model. Five businesses are formally integrated into the visitor experience, allowing tour participants to discover local food, drinks, products and services during their visit. Rather than tourism benefitting a single attraction, the project promotes a wider economic multiplier effect by encouraging visitor spending throughout the neighbourhood.
To achieve long-term success, Artwalkastry must also reach the audiences it was designed for. The project therefore places strong emphasis on tourism market integration and visibility. Partnerships are established with tourism stakeholders, hotels, booking platforms and tour operators, including integration with TUI Musement. These collaborations will help position Artwalkastry as a bookable visitor experience and create a pipeline of visitors throughout the year.
The ambition is significant. By the end of the project, Kaya Kaya aims to operate regular public tours and dedicated tours for business and conference groups, reaching more than 8,000 participants over two years. The project also establishes five tourism-sector partnerships, creates employment opportunities for local guides and supports the growth of local businesses through increased visitor traffic.
Importantly, it supports a sustainable business model for community development. Revenue generated through Artwalkastry will help fund the continued maintenance of murals, neighbourhood improvements and other social initiatives delivered by the Kaya Kaya Movement. In this way, visitor spending contributes directly to the long-term vitality of the community.
TUI Colourful Cultures Curaçao demonstrates how tourism can create value beyond traditional visitor hotspots. By encouraging travellers to explore the cultural heart of Willemstad, the project ensures that tourism benefits are shared more widely, and that local livelihoods are supported, small businesses are strengthened and a sustainable future is established for one of Curaçao’s most creative communities.
Project Partner
Kaya Kaya is a community-driven movement based in Otrobanda, Curaçao, dedicated to neighbourhood revitalisation through culture, creativity and social impact. Originally established through the Kaya Kaya Festival, the organisation has evolved into a year-round movement that transforms public spaces, supports local artists and entrepreneurs, and creates opportunities for community development. Through initiatives such as public art, green spaces, social housing improvements and the Artwalkastry cultural tours, Kaya Kaya uses culture as a tool to build pride, dignity and economic opportunity within the community.
