Curaçao on track to welcome more than half a million visitors in 2023

The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) has announced that its target of welcoming a record 525,000 visitors to the island in 2023 is within reach, following a strong start to the year.

In an interview during the 2023 Routes Americas airline route development conference in Chicago this week, Hugo Clarinda, Deputy Director of the Curaçao Tourist Board, expressed confidence about achieving the goal, citing strong performance in the first two months of the year and promising forward bookings from hotels and airlines.

The CTB reported a 20 percent increase in stayover visitors for February compared to the same period last year, with a total of 42,562 tourists visiting the island in February, up from 35,453 a year earlier. 

This growth is primarily attributed to a significant increase in visitors from North America, South America, and the Caribbean region, with respective growth rates of 146 percent, 82 percent, and 89 percent. Despite a 23 percent decrease in European visitors, overall stayover arrivals remained positive.

Curaçao also experienced an uptick in cruise ship visitors, with 42 cruise ship calls and 103,563 cruise visitors in February 2023, compared to 41 calls and 43,991 passengers in February 2022.

Clarinda said Curaçao’s impressive recovery in 2022 saw stayover visitor numbers approaching nearly 490,000. That success has been attributed to the island’s proactive approach to tourism during the pandemic, including its early reopening strategy, ongoing marketing efforts, and the opening of the popular Sandals Royal Curaçao resort in June last year.

Later in 2023, the CTB expects to see an increase in flights from key markets such as Canada, the U.S., and South America.