Curaçao Reports Record May Visitor Arrivals

Image: Curaçao is averaging 42,000 visitors per month in 2023. (Photo by Brian Major)

by Brian Major
Last updated: 4:30 PM ET, Tue June 20, 2023

Caribbean destinations continue to rack up impressive 2023 visitor arrivals. Curaçao hosted 43,532 overnight, land-based visitors in May, a 22 percent year-over-year increase compared with May 2022.

The Caribbean island’s May visitor numbers represent the first time Curaçao has hosted as many as 43,000 visitors during May of any year; the previous record was 36,386 visitors in May of 2019, according to Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) officials.

CTB officials had expected May arrivals to fall compared with the 48,450 visitors hosted in April due to “seasonality,” according to a statement. For the first five months of 2023, Curaçao hosted 228,500 overnight visitors, a 20 percent increase compared with the same period in 2022.

The destination is averaging 42,000 visitors per month, said CTB officials. Curacao’s visitor surge is being driven by North Americans, as arrivals from the region doubled in May, increasing from 5,113 to 12,178 travelers.

“One of the main reasons of this increase is the great collaboration between the public and private sector promoting Curaçao in the U.S.,” said CTB officials. CTB also cited the “increase in service out of JFK with JetBlue” effective April 6.

Curaçao’s South American visitation also increased sharply, with CTB reporting 51 percent year-over-year arrivals increase from the region. The Caribbean also grew as a source market, recording a 30 percent year-over-year visitor increase to date in 2023.

While visitors from Europe declined by 14 percent in early 2023, the region’s share of Curaçao’s total arrivals continue to lead all other source markets, representing 43 percent of the country’s visitors.

CTB’s immigration card data indicates visitors spent an average of eight nights in Curaçao, with 61 percent of all travelers staying in resort hotels.

Curaçao also hosted 40,697 cruise ship visitors in May, with the Curaçao Ports Authority reporting 15 cruise ship calls, up from eight cruise ship calls and 28,362 passengers in May of 2022.

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