The ABCs of Selling Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao

The “ABC" islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao lie in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela. While many North American travelers are broadly familiar with Aruba, the neighboring islands of Curacao and Bonaire have distinct personalities of their own, and each has a different visitor experience that will appeal to varying types of travelers. 

With similar local cultures — a heady brew of European, African and Hispanic influences — Curacao and Aruba are both autonomous constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands. But no matter how you slice it, the islands are thoroughly Dutch, and visitors can even find the Netherlands’ signature blue-and-white pottery known as Delftware, along with other Dutch goods, in various shops across the islands. 

Travel consultants selling the ABC islands should familiarize themselves with the distinctions of each island so they can better pair clients with the right destination for their travel desires. The islands also have a special benefit for summer and fall travelers: They’re outside the hurricane belt, making them ideal for clients who want more certainty in their bookings during the peak Caribbean hurricane season.

Aruba

Best-known among American travelers, Aruba is famed for its wide array of glitzy resorts and vacation rentals, sugar-sand beaches and luxury shopping.

Clients who prefer global hospitality brands such as Hilton or The Ritz-Carlton will have no shortage of accommodation options on Aruba. Many of these large resorts are clustered in Palm Beach on the island’s northwestern side, while local and European boutique brands can be found just south in Eagle Beach. 

Christina Turrini, a leisure travel consultant for Frosch Travel, frequently sells the ABC islands, and she says clients who seek luxury accommodations and dining experiences will find themselves at home on Aruba, noting that it’s a “more resort-driven destination.” 

Turrini also notes that the island is popular with culinary travelers. 

“Aruba has wonderful restaurants and a great culinary program highlighting local restaurants and Aruban cuisine,” she said.

Travel advisors will also find the widest availability in airlift when booking North American clients to Aruba. Curacao and Bonaire, meanwhile, receive less U.S.-origin traffic and may have fewer connections available throughout the year — particularly from destinations beyond the Eastern Seaboard.

Bonaire

While Aruba is more well-known and has luxe appeal, Bonaire is a big hit with relaxation-seekers, according to Turrini.

“Bonaire would be the place for soft adventure clients to explore remote beaches and natural parks,” she says, noting that among the ABC Islands, Bonaire offers clients the most “unplugged” experience.

Roughly the size of Aruba, but with less than a quarter of the population, laid-back Bonaire is the spot for travelers who like intimate, boutique accommodations; spectacular diving; and natural beauty. When they’re not underwater or exploring nearby Klein Bonaire for a picnic or hike, clients can visit a number of languid bars and restaurants that dot the waterfront in Kralendijk. This is the spot to spend low-key afternoons sipping beverages with only the next sunset to fill the agenda.

An added benefit for U.S. travelers: Although Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands, the island’s official currency is the U.S. dollar. (Aruba and Curacao issue their own local currencies.) 

Curacao

Once more popular with European travelers, Curacao is seeing a resurgence in interest from American clients. Of the ABC Islands, Curacao is the least tourism-dependent, and visitors will experience the distinctly industrial feel of some parts of the petroleum-producing island. But travelers will still delight at the Dutch architecture and arts culture in the heart of Willemstad, the island’s capital city.

Kevin Clarke, general manager for the newly opened Sandals Royal Curacao, observes that the North American market has taken quickly to Sandals’ first property in the Dutch Caribbean. 

You can find great beaches in all three, depending on your preferred travel pace.

“We’re already sold out in the Love Nest Butler Suites category through most of 2022 and 2023,” he said, referring to the resort’s top two suite categories that include butler service and the use of a personal Mini Cooper to explore the island — a particularly useful benefit, as most of the island’s most spectacular beaches and historic sites lie away from the resort. 

Curacao is decidedly less resort-focused than Aruba; it’s a place for active clients who feel compelled to explore. Willemstad is noted for the extraordinary Queen Emma pontoon bridge, which connects two sides of the town over a shipping channel. The bridge is distinctive in that it swings to one side to let ships pass instead of splitting into two parts like most drawbridges. Once part of the roadway, the bridge is now pedestrian-only. 

And while each of the islands has its distinctions, they also have many commonalities. 

"I love that you can shore dive in each of these islands, and wreck diving is a highlight as well,” said Turrini of Frosch Travel. “You can find great beaches in all three, depending on your preferred travel pace.”