CURAÇAO | Tourism records for 2025, with 11,500 travellers from Belgium

Curaçao closed 2025 with around 788,000 overnight visitors, TravMagazine reports, representing growth of 13% compared with the previous year. Including cruise passengers and day visitors, total visitor numbers rose to approximately 1.7 million, a year-on-year increase of about 9%.

Notably, Belgium remains a smaller market in absolute terms, with roughly 11,500 overnight visitors per year, but it recorded double-digit growth of more than 20 per cent. This points, at most, to a gradual strengthening of Curaçao’s position in the Belgian market. 

Until November, TUI Fly operated twice-weekly flights from Brussels Airport to the Caribbean island. Now that this service has been discontinued, it remains uncertain whether these growth figures can be sustained this year.

Growth is further underpinned by several core markets. Europe remains the most important region, with roughly 306,000 overnight stays, accounting for modest but steady growth of around 4%. Within Europe, the Netherlands continues to dominate by a wide margin, with approximately 257,000 visitors annually, representing almost one third of all overnight visitors.

North America confirms its role as the second pillar, with around 251,000 visitors, an increase of nearly 20%. South America shows the sharpest acceleration. With about 178,000 arrivals, growth there stands at around 25%, driven by markets such as Colombia and Argentina.

Curaçao?

Curaçao is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. It became an autonomous country within the Kingdom on 10 October 2010. 

The island’s capital and largest city is Willemstad, known for its colourful Dutch colonial architecture. Official languages are Papiamentu, Dutch, and English. 

Curaçao has a diverse population with a mix of ethnic backgrounds reflecting its complex history of Indigenous settlement, Spanish and Dutch colonial rule, and African, Caribbean and European influences. 

The island’s economy is driven by tourism, petroleum refining, financial services and international trade, and it serves as a regional hub for shipping and tourism in the Caribbean.

Tourism in Curaçao

Curaçao’s tourism is a vibrant and growing part of the island’s economy, drawing travellers with its blend of Caribbean sunshine, rich cultural heritage, and diverse experiences. 

In 2025 the destination recorded a record-high 788,427 stayover visitors, marking a strong 13 % increase compared with 2024 and contributing to more than 1.7 million total visitor arrivals when cruise passengers and day-trippers are included. 

Visitors spent an average of about 8.4 nights on the island, and more than half stayed in resort hotels, underscoring Curaçao’s appeal as a destination for longer holidays rather than short stopovers. The Netherlands, the United States and Colombia have been among the leading source markets driving this growth.

Tourists are drawn to Curaçao for its UNESCO World Heritage-listed capital, Willemstad, with its iconic colourful Dutch colonial architecture, the historic floating market, and the world’s only floating pontoon bridge linking the lively districts of Punda and Otrabanda. 

The city’s compact layout makes it ideal for walking tours, e-bike explorations or simply wandering through streets rich with history and local life. Museums such as the Kurá Hulanda Museum, which interprets the history of the Atlantic slave trade and African heritage, and the Curaçao Museum, with collections of art and cultural artefacts, add depth for visitors interested in history and culture.

Beyond Willemstad, the island’s natural landscapes and outdoor attractions are major draws. 

Christoffelpark, Curaçao’s largest national park, offers hiking trails, wildlife and the island’s highest peak for adventurous visitors, while the Hato Caves, formed from ancient coral limestone, showcase dramatic caverns and archaeological sites. 

Coral reefs and marine parks surrounding the island make Curaçao a world-class destination for snorkelling and scuba diving, with opportunities to explore vibrant underwater ecosystems, shipwrecks and abundant marine life. 

Beaches range from secluded coves with powdery sand and calm turquoise waters to popular spots ideal for swimming, sunbathing and water sports. 

Visitors also enjoy beach-hopping, boat trips to the tiny uninhabited Klein Curaçao, kayaking in mangroves, and thrilling experiences such as kite-surfing or ATV tours. 

Curaçao’s cultural calendar adds further appeal, with events like the North Sea Jazz Festival attracting international and local artists and adding a festive atmosphere to the island’s vibrant tourism scene.

Overall, Curaçao combines natural beauty, cultural richness and warm hospitality with steadily increasing connectivity and tourism infrastructure, making it an increasingly sought-after Caribbean destination for a wide range of travellers.

Some tourism statistics

• International tourism to the United States continues to slide in 2026.
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• Flanders continues to grow as a tourist destination with over 15 million visitors in 2025.
• Greece sets new tourism records in 2025 with nearly 38 million visitors.
• Thailand happy with Belgian visitor numbers and welcomes Tomorrowland festival.
• Belgian travel stats to the United States continued to decline throughout 2025.
• Is Greece too popular? 2024 tourism statistics raise overtourism concerns.
• TRAIN TRAVEL | European Union records 429 billion passenger-kilometres in 2023 but domestic travel still dominates.
• 5 million passengers flew from and to Brussels Airport in summer 2025.
• BELGIUM | Flemish museums attracted more than 4.8 million visitors in 2023.
• Belgium sees modest tourism growth in 2024, led by Flanders and Brussels.
• Travel in 2024: Spain, France, USA, China, Mexico lose ground and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE to grow market share.
• France, Spain, USA, China and Italy most visited countries in the world, Belgium 41st.
• France welcomed 100 million international visitors in 2024.
• Turkey welcomed 62 million international tourists who together spent $61 billion in 2024.
• SPAIN | 94 million international visitors and €108.7 billion tourism income in 2024.
• UN WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER | International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
• Outside the EU, Europeans mostly travel to Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
• Intra-European travel mostly for fun and / or family.
• Europeans visit other European countries over 7 nights on average.