WILLEMSTAD — The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) has reported a 7% increase in stayover arrivals for the month of May, attributing North Americans for much of this growth.

In May 2018, a total of 31,251 stayover arrivals were recorded, compared to 29,196 arrivals in the same month the previous year. The Netherlands, with a total of 13,944 stayover visitors (+14%), was the island’s main producing country, followed by North America, which ranked this year as Curaçao’s second biggest contributor in visitor arrivals with 7,012 stayover visitors in May.

Canada contributed 1,089 stayover visitors in May, thanks in large part to the prolongation of WestJet flights. According to CTB, this resulted in a 66% increase in Canadian visitors from May 2017.

The destination saw a 14% increase in arrivals from the U.S. in May 2018; in total, 5,923 stayover visitors were registered compared to 5,186 in May 2017.

From January through May 2018, year-to-date growth from the U.S. is recorded at 11% for a total of 29,249 visitors compared to 26,395 stayover arrivals in the same period in 2017. Canadian arrivals grew by 7% for a total of 12,837 in the first five months of 2018.

In total, Curaçao welcomed 173,984 stayover visitors in the first five months of 2018, which generated US$262.5 million for the local economy. The direct economic impact from North American arrivals amounted to $69.2 million.