WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao has surpassed the 1.1 million visitor mark in the first eight months of 2025, according to the August tourism report from the Curaçao Hotel and Tourism Association (CHATA). The growth is largely driven by an increase in cruise passengers and day visitors.

In August alone, arrivals rose by more than 23 percent to just over 115,000 visitors. Cruise tourism accounted for the sharpest rise, with nearly 51,000 passengers—a 59 percent increase compared to August 2024. Stay-over tourism also recorded steady growth, up by just over 4 percent to more than 60,000 arrivals.

Hotels report higher revenues

Despite a slight dip in occupancy rates during August, hotels generated more revenue. The average daily room rate rose by nearly 11 percent to $254, while revenue per available room climbed by almost 8 percent to $184.

For the January–August period, Curaçao’s hotel occupancy averaged more than 76 percent, a clear improvement compared to 72.5 percent in the same period last year. June saw the strongest growth, with occupancy increasing from 64.5 to 70 percent. July remained stable, while August showed a minor decline.

Tourism growth across sectors

From January through August, Curaçao received 527,412 stay-over tourists—an increase of 13.7 percent. Day visitors nearly doubled, up 92.9 percent to 31,028. Cruise arrivals for the same period registered a small decline of 0.5 percent, totaling 559,641 passengers.

Traffic at Hato International Airport also grew significantly. Passenger movements in August rose 15 percent to more than 220,000, bringing the total for 2025 so far to 1.61 million—also a 15 percent increase compared to last year.

Record year in sight

CHATA described the results as a sign of resilience and growing popularity of Curaçao as a destination. The organization expects 2025 to close as another record-breaking year for the island’s tourism industry.