Travel Trends - August 2025 Curaçao’s Tourism Statistics

Curaçao’s Summer Surge

July once again proved that Curaçao’s so-called “shoulder season” isn’t what it used to be. The island welcomed more than 104,900 total arrivals, a 15% jump over last July and another clear sign that the seasonality curve is flattening. Stayovers drove much of the lift, climbing 14% to nearly 67,000 visitors, while cruise traffic also impressed with 34,888 arrivals, an unusually strong showing for mid-summer. Add in a 56% spike in day-trippers and you’ve got a picture of an island where the visitor flow is not only bigger but 

more balanced. Year-to-date, Curaçao has already crossed the one-million-visitor mark with a healthy 6% gain over 2024, underscoring the island’s resilience and rising visibility in the global market. In plain terms: Curaçao isn’t just having good months anymore, it’s 

building good years.

Who’s Coming and How They’re Staying

The real story of July lies in where the growth came from. South America stole the spotlight with a remarkable 46% jump in arrivals, driven largely by Colombia’s surge (+68% YoY). North America also impressed, delivering an 18% increase, while Caribbean neighbors contributed an 11% lift. Europe, by contrast, softened slightly (–3%), though the region still supplied the largest share of visitors at 27,400.

When it comes to length of stay, visitors averaged 9.2 nights in July, down modestly from last year’s 10.4. That dip isn’t necessarily a warning sign. It reflects a shift toward more mid-length vacations, with travelers arriving in greater numbers but not all committing to two-week stretches. One market of course continues to stand apart - the Netherlands, Curaçao’s most established feeder country, where travelers stayed an average of 14.1 nights. That figure is not only well above the island-wide average but also highlights a deep-rooted pattern of extended holidays that helps anchor Curaçao’s long-stay demand.

Accommodation choices tell an equally important story. Americans overwhelmingly favor resorts (68%), while Dutch guests lean the other way, with 61% choosing non-resort accommodations such as villas or apartments. Colombians fell in the middle, with 55% selecting resort stays. Island-wide, accommodations were nearly evenly split: 53% resort hotels vs. 47% villas, apartments and other stays. This split underscores the fact that resorts are no longer the default. Villas and vacation rentals are firmly mainstream and guests are choosing based on convenience, culture and group needs.

Airlift: Who's Bringing Them

Nearly 67,000 passengers flew into Curaçao in July, up 14% YoY. But the real story lies in who’s bringing them.

From the U.S., American Airlines again led with 9,123 arrivals while Delta’s 220% surge highlighted how North American lift is diversifying beyond Miami and New York. Regionally, Avianca (+28%) and Copa (+70%) tapped into strong Colombian and Panamanian demand, further cementing South America’s role in the island’s growth.

Not every carrier shared in the gains. Corendon slipped -16%, a reminder that Dutch charter volumes are normalizing, even as KLM and TUI continue to anchor transatlantic lift. Meanwhile, smaller regional airlines like Divi Divi, EZAir, and Winair quietly strengthened inter-island access with double-digit growth. Year-to-date, arrivals by air stand at 466,694, a 17% gain on 2024 and further proof that Curaçao’s air network isn’t just expanding, it’s evolving. And while skies stayed busy, the harbor was hardly quiet either.

Cruise Arrivals: Keeping The Summer Hot

Curaçao’s July tourism story wasn’t limited to stayovers. Cruise arrivals reached 34,888 passengers, up 15% from last year, defying the island’s traditional winter-centric cruise pattern. Even with fewer calls (12 vs. 14 last July), larger ships kept volumes strong, reinforcing Curaçao’s position as a year-round port of call.

Day-trippers also made waves, climbing to 3,087 visitors representing a 56% jump YoY. Year-to-date, that segment has more than doubled (+111%), showing how Curaçao is benefiting from regional spillover traffic and short-haul visitors.

Together these segments may not match the spending power of long-stay visitors but they inject resilience and keep restaurants, shops and attractions buzzing even outside peak season.

Looking ahead, the momentum doesn’t stop. According to the latest port schedule, Curaçao is expected to welcome a swath of cruise ships through August and September, including Carnival Horizon, Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody and Adventure of the Seas and even mega-ships like Carnival Celebration and Oasis of the Seas. This bustling run-up ahead of the high season underscores just how much cruise ship arrivals are becoming a year-round contributor to the island’s tourism economy.

Regional Arrivals: Diverging Patterns

Year-to-date results underscore just how differently Curaçao’s feeder regions are performing. South America continues to stand out, climbing 30% in arrivals and nearly 19% in nights. Strong evidence that Colombia and its neighbors are sending not only more travelers but also longer-staying ones. North America is close behind, with a solid 20% gain in arrivals and 16% more nights, underscoring the region’s growing role in Curaçao’s summer season.

By contrast, Europe delivered only a modest 3.5% increase in arrivals, though the sheer volume of visitors (177,254 YTD) still makes it the single largest supplier of long-stay tourists, generating more than 2.1 million nights. The Caribbean showed mixed signals. Arrivals rose 24% but nights dropped by 15%, indicating shorter stays and quick regional getaways rather than extended holidays.

Together, these shifts offer further evidence of a market in transition. Curaçao is seeing healthy growth across the board but the balance of who is coming and how long they stay is clearly changing.

Visitor Deep-Dive (Top YTD)

Netherlands — 23,769 visitors │ ▼ 4.8% YoY

• Nights: 335,291 (▼ 2% YoY) • Avg stay: 14.1 nights (vs 13.74)

• Share of July totals: 35.5% of arrivals but a larger 54.3% of all nights → the long-stay anchor 

• YTD context: 32.1% of arrivals / 46.9% of nights

United States - 16,735 visitors │ ▲ 19.7% YoY

• Nights: 99,233 (▲ 14% YoY) • Avg stay: 5.93 nights (vs 6.21)

• Share of July totals: about 25.0% of arrivals but 16.1% of nights → growth volume-led with shorter trips

• Contribution to July nights growth: +12,347 nights vs last July (largest single-country lift)

Canada — 944 visitors │ ▼ 1.3% YoY

• Nights: 8,291 (▼ 11% YoY) • Avg stay: 8.78 nights (vs 9.79)

• Share of July totals: 1.4% of arrivals / 1.3% of nights → small base, still skewing longer than U.S./Colombia on stay length

Colombia — 5,090 visitors │ ▲ 67.8% YoY

• Nights: 26,949 (▲ 51% YoY) • Avg stay: 5.29 nights (vs 5.89)

• Share of July totals: 7.6% of arrivals / 4.4% of nights → the fastest-growing market, but trips remain short.

• Contribution to July nights growth: +9,071 nights vs last July (second-largest lift, after the U.S.).

Brazil — 4,040 visitors │ ▼ 4.9% YoY

• Nights: 27,604 (▼ 12% YoY) • Avg stay: 6.83 nights (vs 7.42)

• Share of July totals: 6.0% of arrivals / 4.5% of nights → demand eased and average stay shortened.