Tourism in Curacao is surging, with the month of August eclipsing pre-pandemic arrival totals, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The Dutch Caribbean island reported 42,633 stopover arrivals in August, a 10 percent improvement over the same period in 2019. 

The wave of new arrivals is coming from the Netherlands, the United States and Colombia, according to a statement from the Curacao Hotel and Tourism Association. 

The US saw particularly strong growth, driven by the summer debut of the Sandals Royal Curacao resort. 

It’s what’s been termed the “Sandals Effect,” something that has been seen in several markets where the all-inclusive giant entered for the first time, most notably with the company’s opening in Grenada back in 2014.

Indeed, US arrivals broke a record for the third straight month. 

Curacao is reporting a total of 318,432 stopover arrivals so far in 2022. 

That represents a 1 percent improvement over the first eight months of 2019, although the last few months have been particularly strong as the island climbs out of the pandemic.