During the first four months of 2017, Curacao’s tourism generated US$182.7 million. Compared to the same period last year, the amount represents a drop of 0.8%.
Approximately, US$ 96.8 million (53%) were spent by European tourists. US$ 46.3 million were attributed to visitors from North America, US$ 29.5 million to South American tourists, and US$ 10.1 million to citizens from other regions of the globe.
An increase of 13% in the number of overnight stays on the island was yet another figure that stood out. A total of 1,280,737 overnight stays were counted, an average of 8.9 during the first four months of the year. In the same period in 2014, the average of overnight stays was 7.9. The European tourists were accountable for 63.2% (809.208). An increase of 5%. The Curacao’s tourism benefited also from the European and North American visitors who stayed on average one more night.
302,547 overnight stays were registered solely in April 2017, compared to 295,859 in 2016 (an increase of 2%). The Dutch stayed the longest, averaging 10.6 overnight stays against last year’s 10.1. The Germans registered a growth of 23%. This two-digit increase attained by German visitors had to do with the holiday and Easter season of the European calendar.
“In 2016, Easter was in March and, because of that, we witnessed a change in the number of arrivals in April. The average of overnight stays per German person has also increased by 21%. Last year, we registered an average of 8.6 overnight stays per person, while this year we are dealing with an average stay of 10.4,” Muryad de Bruin, the marketing manager for South America of the Curacao’s tourism board (CTB), affirmed.
The CTB also registered the arrivals of 6,390 tourists from North America, keeping a mild stability when compared to the same period last year. The number of arrivals from Canada grew 15%. On the other hand, the United Stated contributed with 4,587 tourists, a decrease of 4%.
The ongoing drop in the number of Venezuelan tourists was also one of the aspects that stood out the most – there were 58% (2,554) fewer Venezuelans in the total of 6,403 South Americans who visited the island. Brazil contributed 667 visitors, a drop of 42. The Colombians registered an increase of 93% (1519 tourists). A consequence of the marketing efforts employed, along with charter flights connecting Willemstad with Bogotá, Colombia’s capital.