Following the trend of another eleven Caribbean islands, the Dutch island of Aruba just broke all tourism records in the first half of 2024.
With a huge increase of 19 percent compared to the same period last year, Queen Beatrix welcomed International Airport (AUA) 803,287 passengers from January to June, a figure never seen before on the island, according to the latest report.
To no one’s surprise, the Americans continue to take the lead in Aruba main source market with 73 percent of visitors. Second and third places were taken by Canadians and Colombians respectively.
Data shows that recent political moves and marketing campaigns to attract visitors from other latitudes are beginning to pay off.
In 2024, Aruba continued its expansion in Latin America with new direct flights from Lima, Peru.
As of today, the island has three hubs in this market: Bogota, Colombia, with Avianca; and Panama, with Copa Airlines.
“We have actively pursued a diversification strategy. This moment is a testament to the hard work on the island and by our team in Latin America,” says Ronella Croes, CEO of the Aruba Tourism Authority.
Currently, the destination is home to 26 airlines that operated 14,000 successful flights in the first half of the year. Aruba will open a new American departure hub in 2025.
One of the most successful strategies implemented to attract new international travelers is the brand new visa-free entry policy for numerous nationalities.
This simplified travel process has benefited customers from more than 70 countries and territories, including the entire Schengen area, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland.
By broadening the scope of its visa-free policy, Aruba is seeking to position “The One Happy Island” as a highly attractive destination for the global market.
As previously mentioned, Aruba is not the only Caribbean destination experiencing a skyrocketing increase in tourists from around the world.
At least eleven islands have surpassed their 2019 benchmark figures. Some of them are Jamaica, Curacao, Bonaire, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda and the Cayman Islands.
Some of these destinations have not only surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, but have also broken historic records this year.
Such is the case for the Dominican Republic, which set a record for the entire Caribbean with more than 10 million visitors among air and cruise passengers in 2023.
“Reaching 10 million tourists between air and cruise ships is a fact that should fill the entire country with pride, regardless of political flags, as all these visitors are friends of the country who contribute to development and employment in rural areas and the support of the productive apparatus of the nation,” said Tourism Secretary David Collado.
