WILLEMSTAD - Plans to increase the Dutch air travel tax, if implemented, may significantly impact Curaçao’s tourism sector, according to the Cabinet of the Plenipotentiary Minister of Curaçao in The Hague. Concerned about potential repercussions, this was one of the key topics recently addressed in a meeting between Curaçao’s Plenipotentiary Minister Carlson Manuel (MFK) and Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Barry Madlener (PVV), a member of the Schoof administration.
During the discussion, Minister Manuel and Minister Madlener covered various topics, including the electric bus project for Curaçao and alternative funding sources following the end of the Dutch Growth Fund. A major focus, however, was on the Dutch government’s proposal to raise the air travel tax for long-haul flights, which would affect flights from the Netherlands to destinations like Curaçao.
The Schoof administration, led by PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB, seeks to impose a higher tax on long-haul flights. Minister Madlener has been known to support Schiphol Airport’s operations and is generally cautious about measures that could decrease traffic there, making it uncertain how quickly these tax changes might take effect.
Still, Curaçao’s Pisas administration has expressed concern about the possible decline in Dutch tourist arrivals to Hato International Airport if the higher tax takes effect. While Curaçao’s dependence on the Dutch market has decreased recently with the rise of North American tourism, the Netherlands remains Curaçao’s primary source of visitors.
In September alone, the Curaçao Tourism Bureau (CTB) recorded 17,185 visitors from the Netherlands, representing a 12% increase over the same period last year, with KLM, TUI, and Corendon being the main airlines serving this route. From January to September 2024, Curaçao welcomed 183,165 Dutch tourists, a 21% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The United States was the second-largest market, with 131,986 American visitors arriving by air during the same period.
