Tourism Down, Inflation Up in Aruba according to the Central Bank of Aruba for September 2006

The Central Bank of Aruba has posted its monthly report for September 2006; even though the report mentions that the information about the number of sojourn tourists and the number of days they stayed is not yet available for the months of August and September, conveniently enough. However, here is the damaging information that they report does mention.

• The average inflation pace on a yearly basis was also 4.1 percent, which means an acceleration of 0.9 percent point compared with same period a year ago.
• price index figure for the family consumption in September was 4.1 percent higher that in September of 2005
• The number of sojourn tourists and the number of days they stayed has dropped with respectively 10.2 and 7.2 percent in the first seven months of this year.
• According to CBS, the room occupancy of the hotels show a drop of 2.5 to 66.6 percent for September, compared with last year.

So why are is the CBA not publishing information in their report the number of sojourn tourists and the number of days they stayed for August and September? Even though cruise ship numbers went up that is an insignificant figure in the big picture as compared to tourists who are hotel stay overs, purchase meals and other items during their stay in Aruba.  Could it be because the reported hotel occupancy rate for 2006 contraction of 2.5 percentage points to 66.6 percent? Its is hard to believe that one could provide the data for occupancy rates, but not for the number of sojourn tourists and the number of days they stayed in Aruba. Hard to believe in deed. It is November, isn’t it? What are they waiting for, Christmas?

click on pic for previous post

(Vanderbilt – ‘06)

Amigoe; November 13, 2006:  November Central Bank: Accelerated inflation 

ORANJESTAD – The Central Bank of Aruba (CBA) has calculated that the price index figure for the family consumption in September was 4.1 percent higher that in September of 2005.  The average inflation pace on a yearly basis was also 4.1 percent, which means an acceleration of 0.9 percent point compared with same period a year ago.  This inflation percentage is 0.4 percent higher than de average annual inflation of the United States. 

The Bank announced this in the recently published monthly report of September 2006.  This report also mentions that the information about the number of sojourn tourists and the number of days they stayed is not yet available for the months of August and September.  The last figures are from July 2006 and they show a decrease of respectively 9.1 and 5.4 percent, compared same period last year. 

The number of sojourn tourists and the number of days they stayed has dropped with respectively 10.2 and 7.2 percent in the first seven months of this year.  However, according to CBS, the room occupancy of the hotels show a drop of 2.5 to 66.6 percent for September, compared with last year.  The number of cruise passengers and the number of cruise ships that called in has increased with 45.7 and 14.3 percent, compared with September of 2005. 

CBA’s monthly report also shows that the money quantity has increased with 9.7 million florins or 0.4 percent to 2.473,3 million florins.  The net change in the money quantity is determined by changes in the net home- and net foreign active.  The increase of the money quantity is attributed to a net supply of exchange from abroad of 4.3 million florins.  The net foreign active was 625.9 millions at the end of September, which are 32.6 million florins less than the end of September of last year.