January 2023 arrivals recorded 35% increase compared to January 2022
WILLEMSTAD- February 16, 2023 – The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) is reporting 48,042 stayover visitors for the month of January. From these 48,042 arrivals, 47% traveled from Europe, 32%, 13% and 5% from North America, South America, and the Caribbean region, respectively. In overall, we welcomed on average 1,550 stayover visitors per day who spent a total of 488,808 visitor nights in Curaçao. Many of the visitors who travelled to Curacao in January are between 45 and 64 years old (37%) and 25 and 44 years old (34%).
We welcomed 19,812 Dutch visitors in the first month of the year, which is 16% less than last year. Out of Germany and Belgium, we registered 781 and 519 visitors respectively. Curaçao welcomed a total of 22,818 European visitors, 13% less than previous year. Of these European visitors, 52% stayed in resort hotels in January.
Curaçao Tourist Board anticipated the poor performance out of the European region, because of less seat capacity compared to last year. The continuous efforts throughout the years promoting our top source markets showed its effect in January. In the end, the demand out of the other markets outbalanced the poor performance from Europe, showing again the great diversification in stayover arrivals to the island.
A total of 15,369 visitors travelled out of the North American region to Curaçao, a 263% growth. From the United States of America, we welcomed a record-breaking number of arrivals. In total 11,063 visitors were welcomed in January. Canada recorded 4,306 stayover visitors, also a first. Seventy two percent of the North Americans stayed in resort hotels.
From the South American region, 6,341 visitors were welcomed. Of the South America arrivals, 2,505 (40%) and 1,351 (21%) traveled from Colombia and Brazil, respectively. Most South American visitors traveling to Curaçao in January chose a resort hotel as place of accommodation (60%).
From the Caribbean region, we have welcomed 2,443 stayover visitors in January, primarily from the Dutch Kingdom islands.
There were 42 cruise ship calls and 107,699 cruise visitors in the month of January. In January 2022, Curaçao Ports Authority reported 42 cruise ship calls and 40,056 cruise passengers.
Last year was a spectacular year for our tourism industry and the objective is to keep the momentum throughout the year. CTB’s objective is to hold to equal number of European stayover visitors and to gradually grow the arrivals from the North American, South American and Caribbean region in 2023. This strategy should bring us 7% more stayover arrivals in 2023, to a total target of 525,000 stayover visitors. In addition, CTB’s approach is to target visitors who on average spend more on island, than visitors who travelled to Curaçao in the past.
