Curacao has, in record time, received its 500,000th overnight, land-based visitor of the year, according to officials of the Curacao Tourist Board (CTB).

Since November 20, 2022, the southern Caribbean nation has received a cumulative of 501,313 overnight visitors, which is an increase from the 489,558 stayover visitors it received for the entire year of 2022.

According to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, this year’s total surpasses the 463,652 land-based visitors who visited Curacao prior to the pandemic in 2019. It also follows a string of record-breaking visitor totals attained over several months.

At a ceremony this week at Hato International Airport, Ruisandro Cijntje, the minister of economic development and tourism for Curacao, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders and the dedicated workers in the tourism industry for their devotion in making this momentous milestone a reality.

CTB officials also reported that Curacao has established new benchmarks this year in terms of the quantity of overnight visitors it has received from its leading markets, which include the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia.

Officials from the CTB attributed this year’s increase in visitors to airlines such as JetBlue, Air Canada, Delta, WestJet, United, and American Airlines that have introduced or expanded service.