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It was just a few years ago that the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao was a bit off the radar of American travelers. Arrivals from the US paled in comparison to those from the island’s traditional stronghold in The Netherlands.
Now, almost three years after the arrival of Sandals in the summer of 2022, the watershed in the history of the island’s tourism, Curacao is becoming a true hotspot for American travelers.
After a record-breaking 2024, Curacao arrivals continue to surge, with 73,289 visitors in January — a sizable 20 percent increase over the same month last year.
That included a truly sizzling 30 percent increase in arrivals from the United States, with 17,708 visitors — which represented a jump of 13,604 arrivals.
The island has more airlift from the US than ever, including the significant return of Delta to the island at the end of 2023 (after a years-long hiatus) and a still-increasing pipeline of hotels.
That includes the just-opened hotel-within-a-hotel at the Dreams Curacao (where standard rooms start at $1038 per night) and new resorts like the Rif all-inclusive near Willemstad, with rooms at $318 per night in March, according to Google Hotels.
We’ve visited Curacao countless times, and American’s new love affair with Curacao is no surprise — even before the arrival of Sandals, it was a hip, cosmopolitan, friendly destination that just needed a bit of an extra spotlight, with a boost from the “Sandals Effect.” Now, US visitors are getting the point.
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