The Call of the Caribbean: Curaçao’s Travel Market Continues to Boom

Curacao welcomed more than 63,000 visitors in March this year. By the end of the fourth week of the month, the island set a new milestone for stayover tourist arrivals.

Curacao has seen the travel industry take off across the island over the past few years. According to the Curacao Tourist Board, from December of 2023 to March, the island saw more than 60,000 stay-over guests each month, and overall, a 38% increase in arrivals since last year. What’s behind the island’s boom in popularity?

Curacao: The Chic, Cheap New Caribbean Destination

Curacao has always been popular among a diverse base of tourists. A vast majority, specifically 40%, of these travelers hail from Europe.

Tourists from the United States and Canada are not far behind, contributing 38% of the market share. In March of this year, the island welcomed more than 18,000 visitors from the U.S, setting a record with a 58% increase since last year.

South America accounts for 17% of visitors, and visitors from the Caribbean contribute 4%. Curacao, has a global appeal, welcoming more and more travelers from all corners of the planet every year.

The island enjoys popularity among various age groups, especially among younger visitors and families. The largest portion, 36% of visitors, belong to the 25- to 44-year-old age group, closely followed by the 45- to 64-year-old age group, 35% of the total arrivals.

Curacao: A Destination Dupe?

In November last year, Expedia published a report on the travel dupes for 2024. Travel dupes are one of the latest TikTok trends. These vacation destinations are less crowded and often considerably cheaper — yet offer the same cultural or adventure-oriented features as the most popular travel spots.

The Expedia article proposes some brilliant destination dupes. It offers Taipei as opposed to Seoul, Memphis as opposed to Nashville, Paros instead of Santorini, Quebec as a dupe for Geneva, Liverpool as London’s alternative, and so on. 

The rising popularity of destination dupes is also understandable. After all, many vacation hotspots are more expensive than others owing to their ever-booming popularity. The more tourists throng to these destinations, the higher the airfares, accommodation prices, and general cost of traveling, including food and visits to local attractions these locations surge. Also, the more popular the destination, the more overcrowded it is.

Curacao is often a dupe of popular island destination Saint Martin. Throngs of visitors from all over the world each year flock to Saint Martin. The Caribbean island receives more than one million visitors through the international airport each year.

Indeed, destination dupes may be the new travel trend that will continue to dominate this year. The Expedia report shows there has been a massive surge in the global search for these hotspot duplicates. While the global searches for Taipei rose 2,786%, Pattaya’s search popularity rose by 249%.

Flight searches to these dupes have also been booming. People looking for flights to Curacao rose by 185%, while those looking for ones to Perth and Liverpool rose by 109% and 97%, respectively.

As a destination duplicate of St. Martin, Curacao has much to offer. While St. Martin boasts a half-French and half-Dutch heritage, Curacao also has Dutch history. With shimmering gold beaches and turquoise waters just waiting to be explored, the Caribbean nation offers all the charms of St. Martin and then some. So, it is no wonder why the global searches for the island have increased by 228%.

Curacao has about eight different all-inclusive resorts across the island for visitors to choose from on their vacation. From family-friendly resorts to intimate adults-only locations, these resorts offer beachfront access and relaxation with the convenience of a highly rated all-inclusive resort.

While St. Martin may flaunt its French colonial past with its exquisite architectural spreads, Curacao’s Handelskade waterfront has its charms. The 18th-century buildings not only breathe history but are also visually enthralling, with the line of pastel-hued buildings just begging one to take a stroll through time.

Scuba diving is a popular tourist activity in Curacao. Exploring the coral formations of the Mushroom Forest, located just off the island’s coast, should be on everyone’s bucket list. 

The food here is also worth experiencing. The cuisine is a medley of African, European, and Caribbean influences. The pastechi, deep-fried pastries, and the karni stoba stew are must-tries on any trip to Curacao.