(de Ware Tijd) THE HAGUE — Suriname has raked in over 1 million Euros so far with the sale of tourist passes in the Netherlands. Over 70,000 passes and long term visas have been sold since the introduction of the document on 25 November last year. A tourist pass cost 20 Euros. The introduction effectively canceled visa application by Dutch of Surinamese descent, Dutch and other European tourists. Roy Lieuw A Sie, consul general of the Surinamese Consulate in Amsterdam, explains that some 400 passes are sold daily.
The consul general visited the tourist pass desk housed at the SLM Schiphol desk last Friday. The airport desk helps in easing service to travelers to Suriname so they do not have to go to the consulate in Amsterdam. Although he does not have all data available Lieuw A Sie thinks that the project has been successful. He does not consider 70,000 a low figure because not all travelers buy their pass at the airport. Some even buy the pass at Johan Adolf Pengel airport in Suriname. Lieuw A Sie promises further evaluation in order to find out whether introduction of the pass has affected the number of travelers to Paramaribo. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already promised to evaluate the project in December.
