This Caribbean destination continues to break tourism records and it’s not Cancun

Known for its vast coral reefs and breathtaking turquoise waters, this Dutch Caribbean island is seeing a “remarkable” number of arrivals, according to the Curacao Tourist Board.

Being the Caribbean, a region where Northern Hemisphere travelers take shelter from the cold winter months, summer is traditionally not the busiest season.

However, last month, 50,123 people decided to book their tickets to Curaçao, 13 percent more compared to the same month last year.

“Normally, In historical years, an average of 30,000 people booked an overnight stay in the months of May and June. Since last year, the tourism board has seen an increase in arrivals, with an upper limit 40,000 overnight stay arrivals for said months. In the current year, the target is 50,000 arrivals for an overnight stay, which shows that there is a high demand among tourists who choose Curaçao as a holiday destination,” said the Tourism Board.

Local media calls it the “Sandal effect”, which is said to be caused by the opening of several signature resorts on the island in recent years.

According to official data, Americans have become the largest source market for the island. It seems that the opening of several all-inclusive hotels has finally won the hearts of American citizens.

On the other hand, Cancun International Airport has reported one reduction in the number of arrivals for the second month in a row, according to the Caribbean magazine.

A report from ASUR shows that the number of visitors has fallen by 2.4 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2023.

Factors contributing to this slowdown include the good reception of Tulum’s new airport and an increase in criminal activity in the city.

Other reasons behind Curaçao’s success

There are two other important factors travelers consider when booking their dream Caribbean destinations: hurricanes and sargassum.

No deadly hurricanes

Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) and other meteorological agencies predict that the 2024 hurricane season will be one of the strongest in more than two decades.

In theory, the storm season in Curaçao runs from June 1 to November 30. But because of its blessed location on the southern side of the Lesser Antilles, it is actually considered outside the so-called Hurricane Belt.

Of course, there can be strong winds during these months. But they never pose a real threat.

Suggested: These seven Caribbean islands haven’t seen a hurricane in 170 years

No smelly Sargassum

Unlike other Caribbean destinations that have been battling sargassum for more than a decade, Curaçao has not been affected by this phenomenon, at least not to an extent that could deter visitors from coming.

Other Caribbean islands are breaking arrival records

With a total of 33.2 million travelers in 2023, the Caribbean will experience one of the best years in history in terms of tourism. This figure represents a 14.3 percent increase in arrivals compared to last year, according to data revealed at the annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace recently held in Jamaica.

Some of the best performing Caribbean islands include the US Virgin Islands, JamaicaSaint Lucia, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic.