The Caribbean’s Colorful Star: Why Everyone is Talking About Curaçao

Some destinations spend years winning over travelers one visitor at a time. Then comes a moment when the rest of the world takes notice.

Right now, that destination is Curaçao.

Long celebrated for its colorful Dutch-Caribbean architecture, world-class diving, vibrant arts scene and welcoming culture, Curaçao has recently found itself enjoying a surge of global attention.

This summer, the island's historic debut in the world's largest soccer tournament introduced millions to the story of a small Caribbean nation that defied the odds.

As fans rallied behind the tournament's ultimate underdog — drawn to the team's resilience, standout performances and the unmistakable pride of an island of just 160,000 people — many became curious about the destination behind the jersey.

That curiosity translated into travel.

Expedia reported that searches for Curaçao on its platforms surged 55% from June 11–29 compared to the same period in 2025, turning a remarkable sporting moment into a meaningful boost for tourism.

Who's Already Been to Curaçao? Ask the Celebrities.

Even before Curaçao captured the world's attention this summer, the island had quietly become a favorite escape for celebrities drawn to its colorful culture, pristine beaches and relaxed pace.

In the spring of 2026, NSYNC bandmates Lance Bass and Joey Fatone arrived at Sandals Royal Curaçao with their partners for what Bass described as going "fully into vacation mode."

The couples hadn't shared a spring break in years. They made up for lost time the only way Curaçao allows: slowly, beautifully, and without rush.

Private luxury Rondoval Villas with personal pools and butlers. Snorkeling. Sailing. Cruising the island's pastel-painted roads in a Sandals Mini Cooper.

"We were on island time the entire trip," Bass said. Curaçao has a way of doing that.

Kelsey Owens of Siesta Key and Max Strong, both on the edge of the most life-changing moment of their lives, chose Sandals Royal Curaçao for their babymoon.

Six months pregnant, surrounded by Caribbean turquoise waters and the attentive care of a butler named Nick, Kelsey described the feeling simply:

"Just … total … peace."

They came home, as Kelsey put it, "refocused, with new energy before our little girl arrives."

The photos they took against Curaçao's luminous backdrops will be forever.

The rhythm of the island has long drawn those who know music at its deepest.

DJ Spinderella was on the island for the Soul Beach Music Festival — a five-day Memorial Day weekend extravaganza that brought Babyface, Jodeci, DJ Jazzy Jeff and a full lineup of R&B and comedy royalty to Curaçao's shores.

It was the festival's first year calling the island home, and it fit perfectly: Soul Beach's electric, community-centered energy mirroring the island's own warmth.

DJ Diveny, who made the trip with a soccer-inspired lens, experienced firsthand how the sport has woven itself into the island's cultural fabric, the pride visible in every neighborhood and every conversation.

And Madeline Brewer — perhaps best known as Janine in The Handmaid's Tale — found what many visitors before her have found: a Caribbean island that surprises you at every turn.

Taye Diggs escaped to Sandals Royal Curaçao, an all-inclusive resort in Curaçao in June 2025, a healing reset in a seaside bungalow before stepping into his Broadway role in Moulin Rouge!.

He spent his days the way Curaçao is best experienced: unhurried, with an infinity pool and the Caribbean Sea as his backdrop.

Lorraine Toussaint, star of The Equalizer, found her own version of paradise here in 2025.

An Island With Something New Around Every Colorful Corner

What exactly are new visitors discovering?

More than they might expect from 171 square miles.

Curaçao's capital, Willemstad, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with candy-colored Dutch Colonial architecture that lines the water.

The island's blend of European, African and Caribbean heritage has produced a culture unlike anywhere else in the region, with Papiamentu — a lyrical creole language influenced by Spanish, Dutch and English — as its heartbeat.

Underwater, the island is among the world's best dive destinations.

The famous Blue Room Cave, a sea cave where bioluminescent light turns the water an otherworldly cobalt, is the kind of place that makes you understand why people say Curaçao finds you before you find it.

The reefs here are pristine, visibility is extraordinary and the marine life is so abundant that dive logs become the stories shared over dinner.

On land, you're never more than two miles from the ocean.

The island's dramatic divi-divi trees, bent permanently by the trade winds into graceful eastward arches, line beaches that give way to aloe vera farms, an ostrich farm and an 800-year-old kapok tree that has watched centuries pass.

From the cockpit of a convertible Mini Cooper, the island reveals itself in layers, each mile a little more extraordinary than the last.

A Culinary Culture as Colorful as the Island

Then there's the food.

Shaped by centuries of Dutch, Caribbean, Latin American and African influences, Curaçao's culinary scene is as colorful as the island itself.

Spend the afternoon at Plasa Bieu, the beloved old market where family-run kitchens have served Kuminda Krioyo recipes for generations.

Or follow the locals to a Kome through Sandals Resorts’ Island Inclusive dining program, which offers a $250 USD dining credit to enjoy at select partner restaurants across the island.

Fresh seafood is everywhere.

Signature dishes like keshi yena and kabritu stobá celebrate the island's rich heritage.

At the heart of it all is the laraha orange, a citrus found nowhere else on Earth and the ingredient behind the world's iconic Blue Curaçao liqueur.

What’s Next: The Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival, September 3–5

Now in its 12th edition, Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival 2026 arrives September 3–5 at the World Trade Center Curaçao in Piscadera.

This year's lineup is the most genre-spanning in the festival's history: Jon Batiste, J Balvin, Gente de Zona, Rubén Blades, The Jacksons, Sean Paul, PJ Morton, Toto, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves

The festival opens early on September 1 with a free pre-show concert by Afro 23 at the Kura Hulanda Village.

The location is also home to the Sandals Foundation’s Blue Wave art installation, created by local students as a tribute to the island’s World Cup appearance.

The festival reflects what Curaçao does best: bringing people together through music, culture and shared experiences.

For visitors, it is another reason to discover an island where creativity is part of everyday life.

The Boom Is Just Beginning

So, what happens after the final whistle blows? The best version of the story: the curiosity sticks.The travelers arrive.

The island reveals itself — the reefs and the colors, the food and the music, the warmth of a culture that has always known how to welcome the world.

And visitors become advocates.

Curaçao has been doing this quietly for years, earning its reputation one extraordinary stay at a time. Soccer simply told a few million more people what those who had already arrived have always known.

The island was always this good. Now the world is paying attention.

Ready to see it for yourself?

Explore Sandals Royal Curaçao, an adults-only, all-inclusive luxury resort in Curaçao, and experience the island at its most extraordinary.