The Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao had a banner year for tourism arrivals last year, buoyed by the entry of the Sandals Royal Curacao resort to the market. 

Now, new data show that the island continues to see strong tourism performance, according to the Curacao Hotel and Tourism Association. 

The island has seen a 10.5 percent increase in stay over arrivals so far in 2023, compared to the same period in 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic (2019 has largely become the benchmark year for tourism performance comparisons in the Caribbean). 

It’s part of a broader Caribbean tourism success story, where much of the region has either recovered or transcended its 2019 tourism numbers. 

This year’s growth comes after Curacao set an all-time record for tourism arrivals last year, with just under 490,000 visitors to the Dutch Caribbean island.