Global tourism finally caught up to pre-pandemic levels last year and, although not all destinations managed to make a full recovery, the overall figure was brought back thanks to those that exceeded their 2019 visitor numbers, reaching new records.
One such destination is Curaçao, which managed to exceed the 700,000 visitor benchmark, achieving a record 700,249 stayover arrivals in 2024, the Curaçao Tourist Board has announced. This represents a strong 20% increase compared to 2023, with 117,844 more stayover visitors during the year. Besides the 700,249 stayover arrivals, the island also welcomed 35,499 day-trippers, and 834,922 cruise passengers, resulting in a total of 1,570,670 tourist arrivals.
This milestone highlights the growing appeal of our island’s vibrant culture, stunning landscapes, and warm hospitality.
Curaçao Tourist Board
The remarkable growth is attributed by the board to strategic efforts to maintain visibility in key source markets, which positioned Curaçao as a destination where travellers can “Feel it for yourself”. “This achievement would not have been possible without the support of our partners, stakeholders, the community, and, most importantly, our valued guests,” the tourism board said in a statement.
Wrapping up the year, like the cherry on top, the month of December marked a record in itself, being the first time Curaçao welcomed over 70,000 (73,669) stayover arrivals in a single month, a 16% increase compared to December 2023, particularly driven by the island’s primary source market, the Netherlands, followed by the United States and Colombia.
In December 2024, Curaçao welcomed 25,255 visitors from the Netherlands, 9% more than the 23,111 arrivals in the last month of 2023. The average length of stay for visitors from the Netherlands was 13.9 nights.
The USA also remained a vital market for Curaçao, with a 30% rise in arrivals. A total of 19,069 Americans travelled to the island in December 2024, compared to 14,714 in December 2023. Visitors from the USA stayed an average of 6.4 nights, with most arrivals originating from New York, Florida, New Jersey, Texas and Georgia.
Lastly, while remaining the third largest source market, slightly above Canada (4,957) and Brazil (4,245), Colombian arrivals showed a small decline, totalling 5,330 visitors in December 2024, down 1% from 5,405 in December 2023, with visitors spending an average of 7.3 nights on the island.
