A recent report from a Curaçao media outlet claimed that hotel stays in Curaçao have surpassed Aruba’s. The report relied on inaccurate figures, however, and experts quickly dismissed it as false. Even a former Minister of Tourism appeared to rely on these misleading statistics, seemingly for political purposes.
In reality, Aruba remains the leader in tourism within the Dutch Caribbean. The island recently opened new hotels, added tourist condominiums, and converted around 6,000 homes into Short Vacation Rentals (SVRs), adding thousands of rooms. Also, while the airport has not yet expanded, the increase in accommodations has maintained overall occupancy, despite some visitors shifting from hotels to rentals.
“The number of hotel guests hasn’t grown in line with room availability, causing average occupancy to drop slightly,” said Tisa LaSorte of AHATA.
Revenue per available room (RevPAR), a key measure of hotel performance, stayed flat in Aruba in August 2025 compared to the previous year, while Curaçao saw slight growth. Still, Aruba’s RevPAR remains significantly higher, highlighting the strength of its tourism sector.
Tourism expert Jim Hepple noted, “Aruba added 830 hotel rooms in August 2025 compared to August 2024—a 14.9% increase. Yet the number of arriving air passengers grew by only 1%, showing that the Curaçao report misrepresents the facts.”
Aruba has always collaborated with its ABC island neighbors rather than compete. The island remains a mature, high-spending tourist destination, maintaining its leadership in Caribbean tourism despite expansions on nearby islands.
