WILLEMSTAD — The control on the souvenir stands by the police will continue without abatement. This took place yesterday morning in Otrobanda with the retailers along the Brionplein. The police checked thirty-one permits of the retailers.
As two retailers did not have their permits on hand, they were requested to pack their things. One retailer had his permit but was selling goods that did not square with his document, and was also requested to pack his things and advised to apply for an additional permit for the relevant products, according to the police.
Waaigat
As customary on every Wednesday, the cruise ship Adventure of the Seas was moored at the Mega Pier. However, the souvenir retailers who were forced to relocate to the route along the Waaigat, hardly noticed any tourists. They announced this before TeleCuraçao yesterday.
The primarily foreign retailers were previously located at the Plasa Jojo Correa, but had been summoned by the police to pack their things last week. The government aims for an organized inner city and has developed a stand-policy in which the permits are only valid for one year. Lieutenant Governor Lisa Dindial announced earlier that the policy is now being evaluated and further solutions are being looked into. The route along the Waaigat is namely not a tourist route, even though the government encourages tourists to visit the monument homes in Scharloo, but according to one of the saleswomen, the tourists are afraid to walk there.
Moreover, the hot and windy location at the Waaigat is not an attractive spot for a stand. Regarding sales, these are lean times for the retailers, which have to support their families. They hope that they will soon be relocated to another spot in the center.
Souvenir stands are a normal phenomenon in the Caribbean region. A large center is reserved for decent stands or pavilions in various large cities where tourists decide whether they will visit such or not.
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