Aruban Tourism … Different Month, same Results … February & March Down Significantly

This is beginning to become like a broken record … A broken record that will not change unless Aruban officials fix the root problem … Aruban Tourism down.

The following numbers are for February and March, 2006

• The number of stay-over visitors dropped by 11.1% and 18.2%, respectively compared to 2005
• Visitor nights spent on Aruba decreased by 5.6% and 15.6%, respectively.

The records were available for April or May, 2006 … No wonder. Let us go out on a limb and state that they will be down from last year. The odds are even money.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average occupancy rate of hotels dropped by 3.8% to 74.2% in May 2006 compared to last year.

Aruba did report that cruise ship passengers were up, which looks a little suspect. Would like to know how they count their passengers as to if they are booked on a cruise or if they actually leave the ship.

And one other economic indicator is up as well for May 2006. The average rate of inflation accelerated to 3.9%, up from 2.9% a year before.

(AM Digital, Click on article to enlarge)

How many months will have to go by before they come clean? Aruba boasted last year in an attempt to spin the overall 2005 numbers that their tourism was ahead of pace for the first six months of 2005. Well of course it was … that was BNH, before Natalee Holloway.

At this rate Aruba will not even benefit from the head count they received last year from the media flocking to Aruba to cover the story of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, nor Texas EquuSearch and all the volunteers that came to Aruba as well.

The trickle down affect of a slumping economy provides nothing more that a greater burden of the government and social programs. Many have even been suspect of the numbers that have been reported. 

Solving the case and prosecuting the guilty would go a long way to even considering getting your tourism back. That would be a hint.