Our Degree Programs

The School of International Hospitality & Tourism Management offers a Bachelor degree program:

1. a bachelor program in International Hospitality Management.

The Initiative

The International Hospitality & Tourism Management (IHTM) program of ICUC was founded on The World Bank’s recommendation. In 2001 The World Bank recommended to establish “a good quality hotel and restaurant school in Curaçao [that] might also attract students from elsewhere in the Caribbean” (p. 24),  as an integral part of the overall economic reform and recover strategy of the island. In accordance with World Bank’s view that the school should be “undertaken by the private sector, with the Government playing a suitable catalytic and supporting role” (p.24), the IHTM program has been developed and initiated in 2003 in a strategic alliance with the Government – the Hospitality Industry – and the Tourism Sector.
In 2006 a second campus of the school was opened on the island of Saint Martin, a Caribbean island that is also part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Success

ICUC’s bachelor program in International Hospitality & Tourism Management has hosted so far many students, experiencing our innovative approach to international-career education. Our Study Abroad program includes that students spend part of the program abroad.
The program can look back with fulfillment on the realization of its international focus with a student mix including students from more than 20 countries and the wide range of international internship placements at places like: Miami – London – Amsterdam – Hawaii – Barcelona – Gran Canaria – Costa Rica – Puerto Rico – Bahamas – etc.

Industry Advisory Board

A requirement for quality assurance of an academic program is that the program maintains strong ties with the industry in question.The International Hospitality & Tourism program of ICUC was founded in alliance with major organizations from the industry with the goal of building mutually beneficial relationships. A platform for structural involvement of the sector is the Advisory Board. With this alliance the ICUC program gets first hand information of developments in the sector. The Advisory Board provides:

• recommendations  in matters relating to the curriculum
• input for reviewing core competencies of the program
• links to contacts with global hospitality organizations
• (international) internship placements for students
• career placements for graduates
• fund raising

Members

• 6 General Managers of the major hotels in Curaçao:
  Hilton – Marriot – Renaissance – Hyatt – Super Clubs Breezes – Avila Beach 
• Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association
• Curaçao Tourism Bureau
• Restaurant and Catering The Trader
• Chaîne des Rôtisseurs

Our Partners

Through the years the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management has developed partnerships with a wide range of organizations:

(Semi) Governmental
Directorate Economic & Labor Affairs of Netherlands Antilles
Department Economic Affairs of Curaçao
Curaçao Tourism Bureau
Associations
Curaçao Hospitality And Tourism Association (CHATA)
St. Martin Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA)
Education Institutes
Academy Hotel Curaçao, Curaçao
University of St. Martin, St. Martin
Florida International University, USA
University of Central Florida, USA
Hotel School The Hague, The Netherlands
VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hotels & Resorts
Sandals Resorts & Beaches, Jamaica/Bahamas
Academy Hotel Curaçao, Curaçao
Hilton Hotel, Curaçao
Renaissance, Curaçao
Avila Beach, Curaçao
Floris Suits, Curaçao
Restaurant & Catering
The Trader, Curaçao
Conference Center
World Trade Center Curaçao

Research Hospitality & Tourism

ICUC has founded a virtual research institute in alliance with VU University Amsterdam
and University of Central Florida (UCF) for research on the Hospitality and Tourism business. Together with our partners we believe that great research is not only a result of individual efforts, but is also a product of cooperation among researchers, universities and disciplines. The coordinators in this initiative are:

• Prof. Dr. Paul Jansen, Amsterdam Business Research Institute VU (ABRI-VU) www.feweb.vu.nl/nl/onderzoek/research-institutes/amsterdam-business-research-institute/
• Prof. Dr. Enno Masurel, Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship at VU (ACE @ VU)
  www.feweb.vu.nl/nl/afdelingen-en-instituten/amsterdam-center-for-entrepreneurship-at-vu/
• Prof. Dr. Robertico Croes, Associate Director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies, University of Central Florida.
  www.hospitality.ucf.edu/dick_pope.html
• Prof. Dr. Gilbert Cijntje, Director Center for Management & Leadership Studies, ICUC
• Mr. Dino Daal, Academic Director Center for Hospitality & Tourism Studies, ICUC

In this alliance of research branches of the three universities, according to a research project the research team is formed by research fellows from these universities. The research focus is on the development of hospitality and tourism industry and the development of entrepreneurship, both in particular related to small islands.