BREAKING RECORDS & ESTABLISHING NEW BASELINES - January 2026

80,891. That’s how many stayover visitors came to Curaçao in December, the highest monthly total ever recorded. That milestone capped a landmark year in which Curaçao welcomed 788,427 stayover arrivals, up 13% over 2024 and the most stayover visitors in any calendar year on record. 2025 marked another consecutive year of record-breaking tourism performance. No longer a rebound and clearly not a one-off. This is sustained growth at scale!

What makes this moment truly significant is that these records are no longer surprising and records that repeat become signals. Curaçao has entered a new phase where demand is broader, stronger and more resilient, supported by multiple source markets, healthy lengths of stay and steadily expanding airlift. This shift establishes a higher baseline for the island and sets the context for how homes should be viewed, valued

and managed going forward.

TRAVELER TRENDS & INSIGHTS – DECEMBER DEMAND

December’s record-setting arrivals were matched by equally important behavior beneath the headline numbers. Despite peak-season volume, stay patterns remained orderly and balanced, with arrivals spread across the month and nights keeping pace with growth.

Curaçao welcomed 80,891 stayover visitors in December, generating 755,271 stayover nights, confirming that demand was not compressed into short holiday bursts. Length of stay held steady, even as arrivals climbed, reinforcing that growth is being driven by intentional travel rather than opportunistic spikes. The island absorbed record volume without distortion. No single region overwhelmed inventory and no meaningful

collapse in stay length emerged. This is a sign of a maturing destination where demand quality is keeping pace with demand quantity.

Signals and Actions for Owners

The Signal: Peak-season demand is no longer fragile or front-loaded. Even at record volumes (755,271 nights, +9% YoY), December showed stable length of stay and balanced arrival patterns.

Why this matters:

When nights rise alongside arrivals, demand is expressed through time spent, not just trips taken. That combination

gives owners more control over calendars and reduces pressure to force occupancy through price. This pattern

held throughout 2025, with stayover visitors averaging 8.4 nights across the year, reinforcing that Curaçao’s growth

is being driven by time spent, not just trips taken.

The Action:

• Maintain minimum stay rules through peak weeks instead of loosening them early

• Avoid headline discounts when nights are already forming evenly

• Use calendar structure and gap management rather than price cuts to shape booking flow

Owner Takeaway

December’s data reinforces a clear shift: Curaçao’s peak season is no longer defined by volatility but by structure. As we move into the regional breakdown, the key question is no longer who is coming but how differently each market behaves and what that means for calendars, pricing and operations.

WHO’S COMING & FOR HOW LONG

Length of stay, booking rhythm and travel intent, continue to vary meaningfully by market and those differences matter operationally. Together, these regions now play distinct roles in Curaçao’s demand mix, stability, volume, growth and operational calm, rather than competing for the same calendar space.

Europe – The Driving Force Offering Stability

Europe, unsurprisingly, served as the backbone of Curaçao’s start to peak season, delivering depth through time spent, not churn.

• The Netherlands accounted for 26,243 stayover visitors in December (+4% YoY)

• Average Dutch length of stay reached 13.7 nights, the longest of any source market

• Visitors continued to originate primarily from South Holland, North Holland and North Brabant

This is not short-break travel. Dutch guests arrive with intention, settle in and stay long enough to anchor calendars through the busiest weeks of the year. In a record-volume December, that depth of stay mattered more than ever.

What this signals:

European demand provides predictability. Longer stays reduce turnover pressure, stabilize staffing and allow owners to hold pricing with confidence during peak season.

Owner Implication:

European demand continues to reward longer booking windows and protected 8–14 night lanes. Homes that preserve space for extended stays benefit from fewer turnovers and more predictable occupancy.

WHO’S COMING & FOR HOW LONG

North America – Volume with Velocity

North America delivered strong December volume, led by the United States, but with distinctly shorter stay patterns than Europe.

• The U.S. recorded 20,423 arrivals (+7% YoY)

• Average length of stay: 6.5 nights

• Core feeder states remained New York, Florida, and Georgia

Canada continues to stand slightly apart from the U.S. profile. Canadian visitors tend to stay longer, behaving more like a hybrid between European and American travel patterns.

What this signals:

North American guests are efficient travelers. They value ease, speed and reliability. Their shorter stays make them excellent gap-fillers but only when calendars and operations are designed to absorb higher turnover smoothly. With North American arrivals growing at double-digit rates across November and December, this market now carries enough volume to shape calendars positively or negatively depending on how they are managed.

Owner Implication:

Shorter North American stays are most effective when used to fill structured gaps rather than replace longer blocks. At current volumes, unmanaged North American demand can fragment calendars just as easily as it can fill them.

South America – Fast Growth, Flexible Demand

South America posted the fastest growth rate of any region in December, reinforcing its expanding role in Curaçao’s demand mix. With new LATAM routes now operating multiple times weekly, this demand is becoming structural rather than opportunistic.

Consecutive months of strong growth, combined with expanding airlift, suggest this demand will persist beyond seasonal peaks.

• Colombia recorded 6,902 arrivals (+29% YoY)

• Average length of stay: 7 nights

• Primary origins were Bogotá and Antioquia

This growth reflects improving connectivity and a preference for culturally rich destinations where travel feels immersive, even over shorter stays.

What this signals:

South American demand is flexible and responsive. It converts well when booking friction is low and communication is clear. These guests often travel with shorter lead times and cluster around holidays and long weekends.

Owner Implication:

South American growth favors flexibility over discounts. Clear Spanish communication and adaptable minimum stays improve conversion without sacrificing rate integrity.

Caribbean – Fewer Visitors, Longer Stays

The Caribbean region continued its year-long trend of declining arrival counts, but without a proportional drop in nights. While volumes are lower, the guests who do arrive tend to stay longer and behave more like regional second-home users than short-term vacationers.

What this signals:

Lower regional churn reduces operational noise.

Owner Implication:

Reduced regional churn lowers last-minute adjustments and exception handling. For many homes, fewer Caribbean arrivals translate into calmer operations rather than lost revenue. In a year defined by record growth elsewhere, this reduction has quietly improved operational quality.

Length of Stay – Two Clear Lanes

Across all regions, December reinforced a pattern that had formed throughout 2025:

• 4–7 night stays dominate North American and South American travel

• 8–14 night stays remain the core European lane

• Stays beyond two weeks continue to be a smaller but valuable niche

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This two-lane structure is a key reason Curaçao was able to absorb record demand in 2025 without volatility. This segmentation is what allowed Curaçao to scale in 2025

without losing control.

Owner Takeaway

Curaçao has become a multi-product destination. Homes are no longer serving one generic guest but several distinct stay profiles at once. Owners who align calendars, minimum stays and operations to these different rhythms are seeing smoother bookings, fewer forced decisions and more predictable results.