Once Again, Its all about the Tourism. Its too bad it wasn’t about Natalee Holloway

It amazes me how the discussion of any investigation, searching or justice for Natalee Holloway has been changed to tourism and boycott. In an AM Digital article about “Now, more than ever, we must show the real face of Aruba“, just one mention of Natalee Holloway and no mention of why people feel offended enough to boycott. Only references of a safe island and to treat your guests and visitors with hospitality.

more than ever we must show our visitors, from wherever they are, that we indeed are a hospitable, friendly and always ready to help and assist.

These are the people that must continue to feel our warmth, and continue to feel that we are humble, simple, honest and friendly, and that we appreciate our visitors.

You mean you have to tell people to be friendly to tourists? We certainly understand the reason that Aruba wants no part of a boycott, but newspapers actually have to write articles to tell citizens of Aruba to act friendly to tourists no matter where they are from? That is almost incredible. You mean there are actually those that would not? An island in the Caribbean that depends approximately 70% on tourism and some how the people need to be reminded that more than ever Aruba needs to present a good face.

It is always quick to blame others rather than look at the investigation at hand in Aruba with the Natalee Holloway case. Why does anyone think that people from other countries are angered and outraged enough to potentially boycott Aruba? They did not just wake up one day and choose Aruba as the “boycott de jour”.

It is very normal that many, if not all, of us are feeling rage when we hear a number of people that do not know us; that have never been here; that do not know our legal system; or that are simply guided by speculative information; are trying to prevent tourists to continue visiting our island.

It is amazing to many that you are not angered by the individuals who have placed you in this position. Instead blame the people that are outraged over the treatment and the less than adequate investigation of a missing girl. I would really like to know who on Aruba would not be livid and lose their patience under the same circumstances? I would certainly feel the same way if this same situation happened to any of the people that I have met over the years in visiting Aruba.

Newspapers are usually critical of events that occur to bring light to them to try and cause reform. Newspaper and journalism is not just supposed to toe the party line. To those in Aruba I would ask the following questions because some pertain more to them than would be visitors to Aruba. If you do not believe the American media and Natalee’s family that the three suspects that were last seen with Natalee Holloway had anything to do with her disappearance, then how do you sit by and think its OK to be imprisoned for three months? Is it OK for people to be falsely imprisoned? How do you sit by and hear your deputy police chief state that he believes the three suspects had involvement in the disappearance of Natalee? I can remember back when Beth Twitty had to apologize to the Kalpoe’s for statements she made calling them criminals. A forced apology through public Aruba pressure that many have never forgotten. Why is it that Dompig does not have to do the same? He all but called the three guilty just not able to prove it. What is the difference?

Aruba claims to be a safe and “Happy Island” and that may be the case most of the time. However, it was not the case for Natalee Holloway. The fact that people think that it can just be pushed away as an isolated incident is offensive to many. Especially in the manner that it has been handled from the outset.

Those that continue to arrive are those that do not believe in boycott, they deserve to be treated as we have always treated our visitors. Let’s try to prevent to show the rage that others have caused in us and keep treating our loyal visitors in the way we have always treated them.

I guess the rest of the feeling should be those that question and care what happened to a missing girl that occurred on your soil and whose case was so botched should just be damed I guess? It is amazing that people would be condemned for caring what happened to a missing girl. Some how it is OK to demonize a family because they want answers and are tired of the run around. A grieving family and the many concerned people who want closure for this family are the bad guys in the case of a missing teenager.

Many continue to just overlook the obvious that in a tourist destination like Aruba, tourists do not expect that this ever happen.

Aruba continues to be a safe country, not only for its citizens but also for our visitors with whom we are proud to share our island.

It is hard to believe that this statement can continue to be made because no tourist ever wants to be the next “isolated incident”. How will that situation be investigated? One does sit back and wonder that with all the media attention watching this investigation just how poorly it was handled. It only begs the question how are ones handled with little to no media attention.

As other Aruban media publications have stated the best way to end any talk of a boycott is to solve the case. Or at least make ever visible effort to do so. Many missing person cases go unsolved in the US, but they don’t do so with the family being ostracized, left out of the communication loop, responsible for leads, searches only to have potential witnesses never interviewed. It was an Amigoe article, ‘Aruba asks the Netherlands for help’ , that stated Aruba’s greatest problem when it comes to the party line of just stating they are a safe island when all this goes on around them.

The absolute figures do not show a negative influence on the image of Aruba as a safe tourist destination. But professional market research shows a less bright image for the future. 51 Percent, of the interviewed persons, of which 33 percent are directly involved with the Holloway case, said that they are not interested in going to Aruba. 21 Percent of the travel agents are less inclined to recommend Aruba as vacation destination. The biggest concern is the fact that 27 percent consider Aruba to be an unsafe place to go to. Aruba has dropped from the second to the seventh place on the list of safe vacation destinations and is now almost at the same level as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

This is the perception and people in Aruba are asked to treat tourists nice. One would think on an island where they are so conscious of tourism that this would never have to be said. I would hope that people coming to spend their hard earned money would be treated well because frankly from a PR stand point Aruba cannot withstand another incident. Also, it is the fact that people read such comments that make them contemplate other destinations.

Boycotts are nothing more than individual choice.