Aruba benefits from strong Caribbean hotel occupancy trend

ORANJESTAD – Hotel occupancy across the Caribbean, a market in which Aruba is a major tourism destination, increased in every month of 2026 through July. According to analytics firm STR, regional occupancy averaged 73.4% from January through July, up 5.4% from the same period in 2025.

March was the strongest month, with occupancy reaching 80.5%, while July posted 72.6%, a 7.3% year-over-year increase. The continued growth beyond the traditional winter high season is particularly relevant for tourism-driven destinations such as Aruba.

Hotel rates also remained higher. The Caribbean’s average daily rate reached US$393.50 for the first seven months of the year, up 5.3%, while revenue per available room increased 11% to US$288.90.

In July, more than 5.48 million room nights were occupied across the region. Part of the increase in occupancy, however, was linked to a reduction in available hotel inventory, which fell 10% compared with July 2025.

The STR figures cover the Caribbean as a whole and do not provide separate Aruba-specific performance data. Still, they point to a strong regional hotel market surrounding Aruba, with seven consecutive months of year-over-year occupancy growth.