WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao’s rapidly expanding tourism industry is putting growing pressure on the island’s roads, housing and public services, while researchers warn that infrastructure is not expanding quickly enough to accommodate continued growth.
The Tourism Carrying Capacity Study concludes that the pressure being created by tourism is increasing faster than the local economic returns that are supposed to justify that growth.
Tourism has become one of the dominant forces in Curaçao’s economy. It now represents nearly one-third of GDP, while its total economic footprint increased from $1.8 billion in 2019 to $2.7 billion in 2024.
However, that expansion comes with significant infrastructure consequences.
Curaçao’s accommodation supply has increased by 81 percent since 2019. More hotels and apartments mean more visitors, but also more employees, rental vehicles, taxis, deliveries and other traffic movements.
The researchers warn that the tourism sector is increasingly dependent on foreign labor, further increasing demand for housing, roads and public services.
Road congestion is expected to become an even greater problem. Current projections indicate that Curaçao could have almost 28,000 additional vehicles by 2030.
The carrying-capacity study makes clear that the problem is not simply the total number of visitors, but where and when pressure occurs.
A cruise day at Playa Piskado, a busy morning on the airport road or increased electricity consumption in a high-density area can push an individual location or public system beyond its practical capacity even when island-wide figures appear manageable.
The researchers therefore argue that tourism development needs to be more closely connected to spatial planning.
Among the recommendations is the creation of a Tourism Spatial Development Framework determining where and how future hotels, attractions and tourism corridors should be developed. The report also recommends a national visitor-management strategy aimed at reducing overcrowding and pressure at heavily visited locations.
According to the study, Curaçao is already moving toward high-risk conditions under the current growth trajectory and approaching a situation of overtourism.
The report argues that decisions taken during the next two years will largely determine whether Curaçao manages that growth or whether continued development begins to overwhelm the systems on which residents and visitors both depend.