WILLEMSTAD – June 13, 2024 – The Curaçao Tourist Board is excited to report another significant growth in stayover tourism. The island experienced a remarkable 24% rise in arrivals compared to May of the previous year, welcoming a total of 53,970 stayover visitors. This accomplishment reinforces Curaçao’s status as a leading travel destination in the Caribbean.
Curaçao continues to attract a diverse visitor base, with Europe leading the way at 41% of the market share in May 2024. North America follows, contributing 29%, reflecting the island’s appeal to U.S. and Canadian travelers. South America accounts for 20% of visitors, while the Caribbean region contributes 7%.
Top 3 Source Markets Performance in May
The Netherlands, holds Curaçao’s primary source market welcoming 19,157 Dutch arrivals, recording a notable 20% growth in May. Twenty-two percent of the Dutch visitors reside in South Holland, 16% in North Holland and 10% are North Brabant residents. Furthermore, the age distribution of Dutch visitors reflects a diverse range, with 33% falling between 45 and 64 years old, and 32% between 25 and 44 years old. In terms of accommodation preferences, most Dutch visitors opted for non-resorts accommodation (56%), while the remaining 44% stayed at a resort during their stay. Dutch visitors stayed 10.5 nights on average in May.
A total of 14,276 US visitors were greeted from the United States of America, recording a strong 26% increase compared to last year. The US market is solidifying its position as a key top source market for Curaçao. US visitors primarily visited from New York (18%), Florida (8%), North Carolina (5%), New Jersey (4%) and Georgia (4%). The age distribution of US visitors is primary between 45 and 64 years old (36%), followed by visitors between 25 and 44 years old (33%). In terms of accommodation preferences, 68% of the US visitors favored resort hotels, while the remaining 32% opted for other lodging options available on the island. On average US visitors stayed 6.2 nights in Curaçao.
The third top performing country, Brazil experienced remarkable growth, highlighting an impressive 116% increase in stayover arrivals, reaching a total of 3,842 visitors. This signifies a substantial rise from the 1,780 Brazilians welcomed the previous year. On average, Brazilian visitors spent 6.9 nights in May. In terms of accommodation choices, 60% of Brazilian visitors opted for resort hotels.
Key Highlights May 2024
Resort Stays: Overall, 54% of stayover visitors opted for the diverse range of accommodations offered by resort hotels, including large, small, all-inclusive, and bungalow resorts, 46% opted to stay at other lodgings on island.
Demographic Insights: The largest portion, comprising 41% of visitors, belonged to the 25 to 44 age group, closely followed by the 45 to 64 age group, which represented 33% of the total arrivals.
Average nights: In total stayover visitors spent 7.8 nights in May, a 7% decrease compared to last year.
Stayover Nights: Although the average number of nights is fewer compared to last year, the tourism board records an increase in stayover nights of 13% compared to last year because more arrivals were registered. The total stayover nights in May is 408,471 visitor nights.
Cruise arrivals: In May, Curaçao Ports Authority registered a total of 10 cruise ship calls, welcoming 37,376 cruise visitors, an 8% decrease compared to last year.
Year to date highlights of 2024
The first five months of 2024 started strong, with a total of 296,650 stayover arrivals, marking a 30% growth compared to the same period last year. All markets of focus have been contributing to this growth and the Curaçao Tourist Board forecasts promising tourism arrivals by the end of this year, with potential to reach a total of 700,000 stayover arrivals. The approach to further enhance its tourism success involves forming strategic partnerships and encouraging collaboration between the public and private sectors. This aims to improve accessibility and position Curaçao has as the premier Caribbean destination visitors should visit to “Feel it for yourself”.
