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Caribbean destinations continue to generate impressive visitor numbers in 2023. Curaçao received 43,532 overnight visitors on land in May, an increase of 22 percent year-on-year compared to May 2022.
The Caribbean island's May visitor numbers represent the first time Curaçao has received as many as 43,000 visitors in May of any year; the previous record was 36,386 visitors in May 2019, according to Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) officials.
CTB officials had expected the number of visitors to decline in May compared to the 48,450 visitors received in April due to "seasonality", according to a statement. During the first five months of 2023, Curaçao received 228,500 overnight visitors, an increase of 20 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
The destination attracts an average of 42,000 visitors per month, CTB officials said. The wave of visitors in Curaçao is driven by North Americans, as the number of arrivals from the region doubled in May, from 5,113 to 12,178 travelers.
“One of the main reasons for this increase is the great collaboration between the public and private sectors in promoting Curaçao in the US,” CTB officials said. CTB also mentioned the “increase in service from JFK with JetBlue” starting April 6.
South American visits to Curaçao have also increased sharply, with CTB reporting arrivals from the region increasing by 51 percent year-on-year. The Caribbean also grew as a source market, with a 30 percent year-over-year increase in visitors so far in 2023.
While the number of visitors from Europe fell by 14 percent in early 2023, the region's share of Curaçao's total arrivals continues to lead all other source markets, representing 43 percent of the country's visitors.
CTB immigration card data shows that visitors spent an average of eight nights in Curacao, with 61 percent of all travelers staying in resort hotels.
Curaçao also received 40,697 cruise ship visitors in May, with the Curaçao Ports Authority reporting 15 cruise ship visits, compared to eight cruise ship visits and 28,362 passengers in May 2022.