RSSAmigoe: Ahata: Briesen should be better advised
As we reported yesterday, AHATA, placed a full page ad stating they are “disappointed in 
the statements of minister Edison Briesen (MEP) of Tourism and Transport.”
The minister said recently that everybody should stop putting into their head that there is a crisis in the Aruban tourism, because that’s not the case. Ahata is of the opinion that Briesen must let himself be advised better, because the facts are clear: “in comparison with competing islands, we are doing badly.”
Edison Briesen may be in line to becoming the next Baghdad Bob. Must be nice to be surrounded by “yes” men. Makes one feel important, but hardly effective or informed. Minister Briesen, your tourism is terrible. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) tourism has done well in the Caribbean exceeding the global growth average by 5.1 percent. Everyone except you. Aruba is on pace with Uruguay.
On November 2nd, Briesen said in a press conference that the tourism figures have dropped a little, but not alarming. Compared with June of 2005, all the branches of tourism in Aruba have dropped considerably in same period 2006. Only the passengers coming to Aruba by air have increased with 2 percent. Where is the crisis then?
(Animal House, Chip Diller: “Remain calm. All is well!”)
You can deny the fact all you want, the lack of tourists on your island is obvious. The lack of money in Arubans pockets will be obvious too come election time. How difficult can it possibly be for one to admit there is a problem in Aruba with tourism? Lying to Americans and a family about an investigation of Natalee Holloway is one thing, but misinforming and misrepresenting fact to your own people?
Amigoe, November 14, 2006: Ahata: Briesen should be better advised
ORANJESTAD — Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (Ahata) has put full page ads in the newspapers, saying that the association is disappointed in the statements of minister Edison Briesen (MEP) of Tourism and Transport. The minister said recently that everybody should stop putting into their head that there is a crisis in the Aruban tourism, because that’s not the case. Ahata is of the opinion that Briesen must let himself be advised better, because the facts are clear: “in comparison with competing islands, we are doing badly.”
Ahata published a comparison between the first six months of 2006 with the first six months of 2005. The tourism figures of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) for the above comparison show a negative growth of 10.3 percent. With the exception of St. Maarten that experienced a drop of 1.4 percent, the other Caribbean islands show a growth. The tourism in Curacao increased with 4.6 percent and Bermuda with 11.7 percent. On November 2nd, Briesen said in a press conference that the tourism figures have dropped a little, but not alarming. Compared with june of 2005, all the branches of tourism in Aruba have dropped considerably in same period 2006. Only the passengers coming to Aruba by air have increased with 2 percent. Where is the crisis then?
Briesen says that one of the reasons for lower room occupancy in the hotels is the room rates, which are extraordinary high and Ahata should acknowledge her share in this. Ahata: It is ironic that the government has given the mandate to invest millions in renovations and expansions and so attract the richer tourists. In her promotion campaigns, the government is more and more targeting the top of the tourism market. Besides, the government receives more room tax from these high room rates. The minister should not be focusing on ‘Aruba does not do that bad yet’, but on how to continue with the success, so that Aruba can assure herself of her position in the next 20 to 30 years.
The permanent committee Tourism meets tomorrow. During this meeting, the Members of Parliament will discuss with minister Briesen the situation with Ahata.
Posted November 15, 2006 by Scared Monkeys Amigoe, Aruba, Bizarre, Crime, Economy, Natalee Holloway, Travel | 37 comments |
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37 Responses to “Amigoe: Ahata: Briesen should be better advised”
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Clearly Briesen’s loyalty is to the government clique of which he is a member. It seems that on Aruba, to speak the truth can cost you dearly. Maybe that’s why nobody seems able to do it.
Unfortunately for the decent Aruban people (for the scum who run the government, take bribes from drug lords and others, I would cheer to see them run over), what usually happens is that sooner or later the combination of hubris and ignorance catches up with you.
In case anyone’s forgotten it, here’s an old joke I posted on this forum some months ago:
Q. Which is worse, ignorance or apathy?
A. I don’t know and I don’t care.
That attitude will sink you, Aruba. Better do something.
It should be noted that St Maarten’s numbers were down reflecting the “hate” crime committed there. Not wanting to be the next Aruba, they investigated, found and prosecuted those involved. They were sentenced the other day.
Lessen #1 for Aruba.
JS … you are correct.
St Maarten having an issue as well.
The common denominator is an unsatisfied tourism public. Funny how that will put a dent into tourism.
R
JUSTICE FOR NATALEE ANN!
———————–
Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus,
or just a really cool
OPOTAMUS?
– Mitch Hedberg
http://tinyurl.com/yf3b73
—————————
Addressing the Natalee issue HEAD ON
will be the only way Aruba manages
to get over the current tourism crisis.
AND BELIEVE ME, IT HAS BECOME A – CRISIS – !!!
————————–
-J4N-
http://tinyurl.com/yj7og5
Let’s start by cleaning
up the murdering,
raping, Van der Sloot
and Kalpoe filth!
______________
SM:Â Carpe – for your viewing pleasure
 They can run, but they can’t hide 
 (klaasend) http://tinyurl.com/ynbw4y
ROFL Klaas! heh heh
I lifted this from WorldJournier posting on another blog because his information is just too good to pass by:
For the long term comparison view….
On 6-14-05 the “Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association” (AHATA) documented http://www.ahata.travel/ahata/manageArticle.do?dispatch=view&id=187 that the hotel occupancy for January 2005 was 90.36 %
….but now….
“However, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average occupancy rate of the hotels for September 2006 shows a contraction of 2.5 percentage points to 66.6 percent”
….that is a long term, 24% loss in hotel occupancy in ARUBA (and also in an ARUBA economy that had been increasing before NATALEE ANN HOLLOWAY vanished), no matter the short term attempts to “spin” the data
….Additionally, in the shorter term, on 11-13-06 ARUBAAN’s news source “Bon Dia” reported just 2 days ago an article entitled, “The Minister of Tourism and Transportation Needs Better Advice,” that details the following 2006 tourism figures compared to same period 2005 tourism figures as documented by the “Caribbean Tourism Organization” report:
+17.7 % Jamaica (Jan.-Aug.)
+11.7 % Bermuda (Jan.-Aug.)
+ 9.1 % Dominican Republic (Jan.-Aug.)
+ 6.0 % Puerto Rico (Jan.-Jun.)
+ 4.6 % Curacao (Jan.-Jun.)
+ 4.1 % Barbados (Jan.-Aug.)
+ 4.0 % Bahamas (Jan.-Jun.)
- 1.4 % St. Maarten (Jan.-Jul.)
- 10.3 % Aruba (Jan.-Jun.)
Read the rest of the article here http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/fun-images/AHATA111106.jpg
….that is a short term, 28% difference between the #1 destination, JAMAICA, versus ARUBA (for all international tourists, and, during a booming UNITED STATES economy), no matter the short term attempts to “spin” the data
 « Last Edit: Today at 10:53:07 AM by WorldJOURNIER  »
———–
He combines the BoycottWatch site, this one and others and gets the Big Picture.
Too bad Aruba doesn’ t get it as well!!
It’s a toss up which person is Baghdad Bob in Aruba, lots of people tied in first place.
If anyone had any questions about “Patti” read the comments from her under this section. I quit reading her comments after this story. Like Chris said the ?????? and !!!! were suspicious.
http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/2006/11/03/four-french-nationals-convicted-of-beating-two-gay-american-tourists-in-st-maarten/
also she talks like she was in San Francisco,and said these guys should come out here, but later stated she was in Hawaii,,,
Oh, Maggie, I hate those !!!!!!!!! and ????????????! I think you may be right about that. Also trying her best to make Americans look absolutely asinine! Who else could it be? Make that ?????? LOL!
A person can get deals at ShermansTravels.com at up to 75% off on packages to Aruba so I don’t know what they are talking about high room rates. But if anyone whated to go, they would probably not mind paying the price. What they are avoiding with this claim is that no one wants all those rooms at any price!
Some “bargains” are just not worth it. Spare us, Aruba! Natalee was not for sale! None of our citizens are at any price. Give her back now or tell us the reason why!
I’m sorta tired of posting how obviously stupid these people that run the Aruban Gov’t can be with their not knowing why their cash-cow has suddenly died.
I’m not all that smart myself but I gotta think that anyone whose put in the position of Minister of Tourism or Economy or whatever, has to be a little bit smarter than me.
My opinion is that these “Ministers” are just doing their 9 to 5 jobs. Content with collecting their salaries, going home at night to their sons and DAUGHTERS and wasting more of the Aruban Taxpayer money on trying to regain what is hopeless lost – CREDIBILITY.
Everyone on Aruba just seems to be wanting to ride out the Storm no matter how long it takes.
What a bunch of heartless souls.
Aruba = Hell
By all definitions.
Richard,
You are right. I have said this many times to my fellow arubans. They really need to change that attitude. It’s that kind of attitude that got us into trouble…not Natalee or Beth. And just because i don’t agree with them, they say that i am a fake aruban and that i don’t love the island and bla bla bla. That is just stupid! A They are the ones who don’t love the island!
The most annoying part for me is that edison briesen has the same attitude has my uncle’s, aunts, cousins, father, brothers and close friends and the only good news for me is that i have manage to convince my mom and my grandma! ( I like to stay optimistic, I know i am going to convince the others too, i just need more time in aruba hihihihi)
What is left of my island? Chollers everywhere.The ALE??? The only thing they are good for is to look at young girls and ask them for their phonenumber. IDIOTS!! Oh oh and should i mention that they violate human rights frequently and nobody does anything about it and they get away with it!!ONE HAPPY ISLAND??? And this makes me so angry cuz these cops don’t have the proper education to do this work and uggggggggggghhhhhh AND I WANT TO SEE WHO HAS THE GUTS TO CALL ME LIAR!!! WAKE UP ARUBANS!! LANTA FOR DI SOÃ’O PA KABA!!
I am so mad and aghhhhh and don’t even mention the dutch cuz I DON’T TRUST THEM EITHER. No wonder that Aruba has a very corrupt systeem, after living for couple of months now, i know enough now. Look, i do not want to sound like KELMEL or whatever her/his name was but i’m afraid he or she is right. I know they said that they are going to investigate this case and i know that Peter R de Vries is doing his best but it’s our dutch systeem that needs a good clean up to do. Trust me! Joran is not going to get his punishment that he deserves. You want justice for Natalee, well i am afraid that it’s not going to happen in Aruba nor in the Netherlands…people i am so sorry for my temper. I don’t know why but i get angry alot these days! I am angry that after 18 months!!.. you would expect people to wise up and open their eyes and see what is going on but AFTER 18 MONTHS they still manage to come up with comments like “everybody should stop putting into their head that there is a crisis in the Aruban tourism, because that’s not the case.” IDIOT…I am angry!!! And I shouldn’t be!! cuz i just turned 22 on saturday and i need to have fun and enjoy life… btw people thanks for all your wonderful wishes:)
Again sorry but i do feel much better now:0)
#7 Maggie:
All the !!!! ???? were the giveaway, much like the change from johnm to kelmal but eventually the DNA proved positive. I confess I bit early on. Finally Red figured it out and Patt’i’ or Patt’y’ has, well just past on.
Glad to see posts from you again.
I know i sounded a bit childish but i can’t express myself really well in english. So in simple english…i am angry at Aruba and MEP.
Arubaanse – Ever thought about being a Rebel for justice? This could be your ticket to fame. Stand up and be somebody, you got all the credintials and we Americans are looking for a hero.
What a great story this would make – local Aruban girl sick of the coverup and control the Dutch has on MY country.
You’re well spoken, you know the island and the the politics, this could be your window of opportunity. Don’t let it pass. Go Girl
LOL, Arubaanse, good venting. You go girl!
molly (in Houston)
Arubaanse, boy I felt that steam all the way to Texas. Felt good didn’t it. I’m so glad that you seem to be on our side on a lot of the issues.
I think I asked you before if you were aware of how much access to computers the average person has. I don’t know if it’s like here where a lot of households have them.
It may be a good idea to ask people you know to take a look at SM sometimes. Maybe they would get a better sense that we’re not so bad and hating all of Aruba, but I think they need to see how we feel about the perps and the government and the reason for it. It may just make them feel a bit better.
arubaanse, don’t apologize, you due. if more on your island had the brains and guts you do, the island wouldn’t be in the shape it’s in. finish school, go home and change things.
dennisintn
Well, I pray they nail him for his own good!
If they DO NOT…
I have not one doubt in my mind whatsoever
that he’ll have a toe tag coming with
his name on it. Same for the Kalpoes.
JUSTICE 4 NATALEE!
http://tinyurl.com/ya3mkg
-J4N-
http://tinyurl.com/ykwxwj
http://tinyurl.com/ynd8tu
Well Arubaanse, bo tin hopi pa sinja ainda, tin hopi cos cu bo no ta get. Aruba su problema mas grandi ta e actitud cu e Arubiano mes tin, orguyo ta mata. Pero mi no ta compronde pakiko bo ta rabia??? No laga e mericanonan hunga cu bo cabes, nan mes ta na sonjo! Nan no sa ni ken nan representantenan local nan ta. Nan no ta worry cu kiko ta pasando rind di mundo. Tin hopi hende tin rabia riba nan pero nan no sa pakiko.
Aruba tin problema? Dimes! Ken no?
Djis relax y biba trankil no maha bo curpa, ta jega e ora cu Arubianonan ta bai lanta para.
Anyhow saludos y pabien cu 22. Un guy cu ta wordo bon stima kiriba riba SM. Red, Tom cu Klaas tinimi pa mata! Lastimamente ta nan ta esun cu a kibra e confiansa paso nan no por a wak mas leu cu nan nanishi! Bon saludos!
anybody heard anything about what jqk’s got working this days on natalee’s case? he just told greta to “stay tuned”.
dennisintn
Arubaanse – I admire your courage and determination to support justice for Natalee in the face of so much opposition. Just keep on telling people the truth. Please know you have a whole lot of Monkey support here and can vent to us any time you want. Hang in there!
Maggie,
Red canned the troll also know as Patti after she attacked him personally on this site. Too bad we cant get rid of the rest of them that have not one damn positive thing to add. But always remember, they are few and we are many and in the end, we will prevail! Keep up the great work!
jqk saying something tonight?
Yep, I heard Mr Kelly tell Greta “stay tuned”. Hopefully he has something to solve this case. I still have hope and always will. Justice for Natalee!!
Thanks Blaze! Its so good to hear something especially coming from the good guys! Aruba will learn eventually that it isn’t a question of if but of when that house of cards comes tumbling down & crashing all arround them.
Thanks for your comments, Arubaanse. I hope that those posters who attack the Aruban PEOPLE as a group (something that the Holloway Twittys have never done), as opposed to the GOVERNMENT and LAW ENFORCEMENT, will take heed.
By all means, contact the HT family directly (I can help you with this if you want) and offer to help them … this assumes that you have not done so already. Your knowledge of the language can make your contribution more valuable than that of many of us.
And yesterday there was a news release … JetBlue is adding more flights to Aruba. We have to make clear that JetBlue is going down the wrong path. The only way I know of to do that is to write, write, WRITE.
My own idea is that the Aruban people have never had to worry much. I don’t think it will offend anyone if I point out that Aruba is not exactly an international force; that is, its impact on the world, for better or worse, is minimal. So people aren’t used (I think) to dealing with the various crises that, say, Americans face on a daily basis.
This might sound delightful. However, when conditions change, those who have become used to living in “paradise” are ill equipped to face the cold, biting winds. Heed this, Aruba, because we, your critics, are not going away.
We are staying away, but we are not going away. (I thought that line sounds nice.) We want justice.
Arubaanse
Your english was perfect….quite clear. Maybe you can
major in International Relations and give them
some pointers. They could use a critical thinker
on their team. Following the case does get very
frustrating. It must be worse for you. Hopefully,
you can vacation with “the girls” while on the island.
Your mom (and grandma) must have done something right.
They should be very proud of you.
Unless the Dutch Investigators can formulate a believable patsy scenario do not look for any conclusion to their recent investigation. They will also never declare the Natalee Holloway investigation as being closed. It will be an ongoing farce. Once they declare the case closed; it is my understanding then the FBI can declare that Natalee’s rights were violated and can go to Aruba and do a complete investigation. You know that will never happen.
With regards to tourism. Whatever happened to the mighty Steve Cohen? Is he still employed or is he collecting unemployment somewhere?
Also what happened to the mighty Joe Mamanna that was going to go to Aruba and bring HELL with him? Another voice crying in the wilderness?
Remember an informed tourist will make the decision not to vacation on Aruba. The message must get out that Aruba is not the safe and happy island. We should get a class action suit against Aruba for false advertising.
Aruba cannot “save face”; since Natalee’s body was probably cremated, there is no way Aruba can bring closure to its’ nightmare.
1906…. The ironic thing is, their patsies are staring them right in the face…So, they got punked…does not excuse rape and murder. Joran’s got more to tell or a book to write….Holland’s reply to that should be, “No you don’t…You’ve had 18 months to tell it, now it’s our turn. Same applies to Aruba and the Kalpoes…Now it’s our turn…..
Holland shut Aruba down when they arrested Guido… Blackmail, that’s all that crap was, simple politics. Ok, so Holland knows what happened,,,,as does Aruba…So, why not try that s*** on the perps…It’ll work, guaranteed.
Mamanna, now there’s a name…Another day maybe!
John,
No tuma mi na malo pero mi no ta acuerdo cu bo.
Ofcourse every country has it’s problems but that doesn’t mean that we should sit back and do nothing about our problems. Just sit back and relax cuz hey, we are not the only country in the world with problems. I hear this all the time, ow well there is alot of people missing in the states and there is also corruption and drugs and americans don’t know anything about aruba bla bla bla. NATALEE disappeared on our island john, not in the US!! You asked me why i’m so angry. Well, i am angry at arubans who think that it is ok that this case is not solved cuz in America this happens everyday. That is just wrong! I am angry at MEP and angry at the ALE. If my family member went missing in ( forexample) Holland, I do not want to hear, ow why are making such a big deal? There are people missing in Aruba too.
But I do agree with you that i have alot to learn and there is alot of things that i still don’t get. It’s true that most americans have this really horrible idea’s about aruba but that is because they only get to hear the negative news not the good news. We can’t blame them.
And yes John, PRIDE is what is going to kill us all, if only we could put pride aside and let others more professionals do this work. You live in Aruba right? What does your family or friends think about this case? let me know.
And you are right I need to chill and relax a bit and enjoy life.
Ayo
Hopi danki pa e pabien cu bo a dunami y cuida bo curpa di parti un studiante arubiana na hulanda.
Arubaanse,
Good job buddy! Dont know what you said in your language, but hope you were giving him a good cussing!! And your right, it will kill the island and soon if they do not stand up and do the right thing!!
Thx Dan, I’ve been real busy, but always checking in to see what is going on. I will never forget Natalee Holloway. After all we have been through here since last year, I feel like I’ve known her all my life. I also haven’t changed my mind who’s responsible for what happened to Natalee. They know what they did last summer and they know Natalee’s family knows. Beth has more backbone then all of them put together. I never give up hope for justice for Natalee. It’s long overdue.
As for Steve Cohen, he was nothing more than a paid liar, like all the rest of the spokespeople for AHATA. How do you go home and sleep at night with a job like that, if you have a conscience. I guess much like defense attorneys do. As long as they get the money, who cares.
I listened to Joe Mamana last week on Dana’s show. He’s not allowed in Aruba, he said. What a joke. Look who is there and Joe isn’t allowed. He still calls the whole VDS family garbage and said he wakes up everyday in hopes of hearing something bad happened to them.
I think JVDS had a lot of mental problems that were never addressed for years. In his police transcript in the car. He threatened to punch the Kalpoes in the face, and he said he should’ve killed them, simply because he didn’t get his own way. He was threatning Satish about a girl he hit with a car. They were threatning him about a girl named Karen and something he did. He has stated they were best friends. Think what he would do to an 18 year old girl he doesn’t know much about, if he don’t get his way. People like that don’t change, it keeps repeating itself. I’m sure there were other problems with him and girls, long before Natalee came along that night. Death by a thousand cuts.
I wouldn’t rule out cremation, taken out to sea and dropped or buried somewhere. Paulus is “bragging” the next day if there’s no body, there’s no case. I’ve always believed Natalee has been dead since the night she went missing. Toooooooo many strange things and “coincidences” and lies that night and the next for it to be a good outcome for beautiful Natalee. Just look at the behaviour and character of all three and Paulus, what girl would be safe in their company. I’m with Robots, they make me sick, all 4 of them.