In a Post Natalee Holloway Aruba … Tourism is Still Down and not Close to What it Once Was

Going, going, going and still gone … 

Aruba tourism is still an issue after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in May 2005. The Aruban tourism officials may want to go back to the very first story that Scared Monkeys ever wrote regarding missing Natalee Holloway, “This Can’t Be Good For Tourism, Where’s Natalee Holloway”.

For an Island paradise that prides itself on sandy beaches and a constant trade wind, the last thing they would want is bad publicity of an unsafe island. However, An Alabama high school student, Natalee Holloway, disappeared during her graduation trip to Aruba.

Think we did not know what we were talking about from the outset of this case and the subsequent actions and reactions of Aruban authorities? There are very few predictions that we have made and discussed with Natalee’s family that did not come to pass. Aruba is based on tourism and money and all else comes second. Natalee Holloway went missing in May of 2005 and Aruba is still feeling the effects of that event as they refuse to provide a competent and just investigation and prosecution of those they know to be involved. Aruba, do you think its about time you prosecute Joran Van der Sloot?

… compared to December 2006, the room occupancy of the hotels as well as the number of cruise passengers dropped in the same month in 2007.   Although the room occupancy of the hotels dropped in December …

Not only did the cruise passengers drop in December of 2007, but also the number of cruise ships that visited the island; with respectively 8.3 and 11.8 percent.  Over the entire 2007, the number of cruise passengers dropped to 481.775, 18.5 percent less than in 2006 and the number of cruise ships remained that same as in 2006

The fact that they tried to cover up a crime and think it was just going to go away will haunt Aruba for decades to come. Aruba can spend all the money they want on tourism consultant groups, it will never make an impact into the free publicity on the internet, TV and individuals choice to express their displeasure as to how the investigation was handled.

Aruba has always been vulnerable to tourism dependency which makes how they dealt with the Natalee Holloway case all that more bizarre. They just that Beth, Dave, Jug and the rest of us would go away.

Go away? Hardly … stay tune for reports from the Boston Travel Show this weekend as people are reminded by a grass roots effort that Natalee Holloway is still missing in Aruba and they have done nothing to provide “Justice for Natalee”.

Big drop in number of cruise passengers (Amigoe: 2/20/08) 

ORANJESTAD – It appears from the monthly report of the Central Bank of Aruba (CBA) that compared to December 2006, the room occupancy of the hotels as well as the number of cruise passengers dropped in the same month in 2007.   Although the room occupancy of the hotels dropped in December, there was a growth in 2007.  

Not only did the cruise passengers drop in December of 2007, but also the number of cruise ships that visited the island; with respectively 8.3 and 11.8 percent.  Over the entire 2007, the number of cruise passengers dropped to 481.775, 18.5 percent less than in 2006 and the number of cruise ships remained that same as in 2006.     

Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) has not yet published the number of tourists that stayed on the island and those that just spent the night during August till December inclusive.  

The CBA has therefore used the figures of AAA on the number of travelers that came to Aruba via air.  These numbers increased for the first 11 months of 2007 with 9.8 percent.  These figures only give an indication of a growth or drop in the tourism season, because the length of the stay was not considered.