At the beginning of October, Avior Airlines started its route from Venezuela to Curaçao again, which is expected to have a positive effect on tourism from the country.
WILLEMSTAD - From available data, it can be observed that tourism from Venezuela is gradually increasing, but the country still does not generate substantial income for Curaçao.
In September 2023, it can be noted that 953 people came to Curaçao from Venezuela. Comparing the number of visitors in September 2022, this figure was only 96 tourists. Furthermore, it can be noted that in September 2015, the number of tourists visiting Curaçao from Venezuela was around 9,800.
Out of the 953 tourists who came to Curaçao from Venezuela, it can be noted that these tourists together spent 6,703 cumulative nights. This means that currently a tourist from Venezuela stays an average of 7 days on our Caribbean island.
Comparing these figures with data from 2015, it can be noted that Curaçao still has much work to do to consider Venezuela as a realistic country for generating economic income. Based on calculations from 2015, tourism from Venezuela generated around 68 million dollars. This calculation is based on the fact that in 2015, Curaçao received 94,726 tourists who together spent 581,000 nights in Curaçao. Based on the fact that a Venezuelan tourist invested 118 dollars a day in Curaçao's economy, it can be calculated that Venezuela generated 68 million dollars.
Although the border with Venezuela and Curaçao has opened, it can be noted that Curaçao cannot simply facilitate the process of receiving people with Venezuelan nationality because the Netherlands decides on all matters related to foreign relations for countries in the kingdom. In the past, the Netherlands imposed a rule that the Dutch kingdom could honor only 200 visas, but based on data published by CTB, it can be noted that this rule is easing.