Aruban Tourism … Right From AHATA Rob Smith’s Mouth … “Helpfulness doesn’t mean that you must take up a submissive position”

Welcome to Aruba, One Happy Island … where hospitality and being helpful is looked upon as being submissive. Aruba, how do you really feel about tourists who come to your island? A better question is, tourists … how do you feel spending your hard earned money and being looked upon as a burden? Just when you thought you have heard it all.

Ever wonder what is really wrong with Aruban tourism? If one ever wondered why such a callus attitude was taken following the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and the almost blaming of the victim and her family for the disappearance rather than holding the criminals responsible for the obvious crime that occurred. One needs to take a look at the following to understand. The following comments wins the WTF moment of the week. What a shocker that it comes from Aruba and has to do with tourism.

 … there are sufficient possibilities to move on financially as well as professionally.  The most important message of Ahata is that Arubans distinguish themselves by their hospitality and that the passion to be helpful must be stirred again.  “Helpfulness doesn’t mean that you must take up a submissive position” (Rob Smith)

Submissive position??? What??? People in Aruba think that being hospitable and helpful is being submissive??? OK, wake me because we are obviously in the twilight zone. The comments come from the head of a AHATA, Rob Smith and speak volumes of the attitude that has to exist in Aruba toward tourists. Why else would Rob Smith say it if it was not an issue by many Arubans.

(Classic Vanderbilt)

So much for the customer always being right. Aruba, a Caribbean island where 70% of their economy is based off of tourism and the head of tourism is telling the Aruban people that being friendly and nice is not submissive. In other words, its not a bad thing and that they won’t be disrespected if they are nice. WOW!!!

Ahata: ‘1000 openings in tourism’ (Amigoe: 5/14/2008)

ORANJESTAD – There are more than 1000 openings in the tourist sector, said Rob Smith, director of Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (Ahata) yesterday during a press conference about the big career-fair of this Saturday.

This is also one of the reasons why this fair is being organized, said Smith.  Ahata wants to get an idea of how many potential candidates are on the local market.  The organization also wants to get more insight on the number of qualified people that can work but have no job or are overqualified for their current function.  Ahata wants to make the community and especially the youth aware of the fact that the hospitality industry has a lot to offer.

According to Smith, there are sufficient possibilities to move on financially as well as professionally.  The most important message of Ahata is that Arubans distinguish themselves by their hospitality and that the passion to be helpful must be stirred again.  “Helpfulness doesn’t mean that you must take up a submissive position”, emphasized Smith.

The career-fair takes place this Saturday, May 17 in the YMCA in San Nicolas from 10:00 till 18:00.  The next ones will take place in Santa Cruz and Oranjestad.