RSSAruba, “One Happy Island:” Justice Minister Rudy Croes Blasts director Myrna Jansen of Aruba Tourism Authority
One Happy Island, huh. Can’t we all just get along? Not on Aruba and not when the private tourism sector is in direct 
conflict with government denial. What is the Aruban government and Justice minister Rudy Croes afraid of, the truth?
Croes says that the report states that criminality in Aruba has negative consequences for the tourism. He called this nonsense.
Nonsense? Actual Minister Croes “nonsense” would be the continued denial on your and Aruba’s part that crime does exist and that it has a direct impact on why your tourism is in the tank. STOP LYING TO PEOPLE! Maybe we should take a look at the crime and murder on Aruba. You would attack someone within the Aruban tourism sector for speaking the truth. The ATA witnesses the destruction of Aruba’s tourism on a monthly basis. Maybe Minister Croes would like to offer an answer as to the plight of Aruba’s tourism.
The minister says that these kinds of assumptions hurt Aruba, while from the figures it actually appears that the criminality has dropped, considering the enormous increase of the population and compared with other countries.
It is not the assumption that hurts Aruba, its the reality. Earth to Rudy Croes … Natalee Holloway was not an assumption. The manner in how suspects confessed and then somehow did not confess is not an assumption. The method in how the ALE pathetically investigated Natalee’s disappearance was not an assumption. The fact that Aruba has three suspects that they refuse to prosecute is not an assumption.
Posted March 7, 2007 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Crime, Economy, Natalee Holloway, Politics | 88 comments |
More Aruban Chamber of Commerce Material … Stories You Will not Here from the ATA … American Tourists Mistreated Called “Stupid Americans”
ARUBA … One Happy Island … NOT.
We have been saying for quite some time that the death nail for Aruba’s tourism would be based on one more event, act of violence or ignorant action against an American tourist. Is Aruba getting to that boiling point?
How much more ill-treatment does Aruba think America will tolerate? At this point your tourism is as low as it can get. Do you wish for it to be even worse? Why will tourists and Aruba continue to make excuses for bad behavior against Americans? In todays Diario, there was an article that discusses the ill treatment that was maliciously perpetrated upon American tourists. This coming from Aruba, an island that tells us they are friendly and have all but begged Americans to come back.
They got a terrible telling off from the colored lady, who insulted them on top of it, and according to the American resident, this is no way to treat tourists, especially since we are begging the tourists to visit our island.
The treatment that these tourists received in front if their 6 and 12 year old children was uncalled for, inexcusable and unbelievable. What is Aruba going to do about this? NOTHING AS USUAL. Maybe those traveling to the Boston Travel Expo will ask those Aruban representatives there about this incident, what was done about it and why anyone should spend money to go to a place only to be harassed.
At one point, the woman even adopted a fighting position and qualified the tourists as “Stupid Americans!!
(Diario, March 1, 2007) TOURISTS WILL DENOUNCE ILL TREATMENT TO THE MINISTERS AND THE POLICE
ORANJESTAD (AAN) A couple of tourists came to the DIARIO accompanied by an American resident in Aruba for a number of years now, denouncing a bad treatment they received at the Baby Beach during the weekend.The American residing in Aruba declared that he went to Baby Beach with his two grandchildren, his daughter, and as is customary, he went with his own beach chairs and other personal properties to spend the day there.He encountered a colored lady who was about to place her beach chairs and told him that there is no place for him and that he is not allowed to put his chairs there. No one was using the chairs of the lady and furthermore, there was a space that was open and he placed his chairs there.
After that, tourists from Rhode Island came with two children 6 and 12 years of age and they were asked an exorbitant price to rent chairs from the woman. “Don’t touch any one of these chairs,” the lady yelled at them and the American decided to get some more chairs from his pickup double cabin for the tourists.They got a terrible telling off from the colored lady, who insulted them on top of it, and according to the American resident, this is no way to treat tourists, especially since we are begging the tourists to visit our island. Since he has lived here during various years and knows the mentality, he told the visiting tourists not to worry and that he would tend to them and that they could use his properties.At one point, the woman even adopted a fighting position and qualified the tourists as “Stupid Americans!!“This is the kind of people that Aruba does not need to work with tourists on the island,” the American told the DIARIO. “It’s a shame that these things happen with visitors, and I felt ashamed in front of these visitors. I came here (to the DIARIO) and I am denouncing this case also to the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Justice, and to the ATA (Aruba Tourist Authorities), because you cannot allow Aruban tourism to be damaged by people with this kind of attitude,” he informed.The case has not ended there either, because afterward he found himself with another surprise. After he was able to calm his grandchildren and the children of the tourists that were crying because of the treatment they received, they went back to their car after they enjoyed their stay at the beach for some time.When he reached his pickup, the American found that the inside was full of rice and chicken, as if a whole pot of rice and chicken had been emptied inside his pickup. When he went to the colored woman, she stood before him with a very arrogant poise, telling him: “do you see rice or chicken around here?” and again began to curse him out.This cannot remain so, because only a few days ago a similar case took place there and the visitors denounced this to the police at San Nicolas. “I am also going to the police at San Nicolas, with or without this family (from Rhode Island), so that the police can pay attention to this situation. The time has come to take measures against it,” the American informed DIARIO.
Posted March 1, 2007 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, Bizarre, boycott, Diario, Natalee Holloway, Travel, WTF | 79 comments |
2006 Another Bad Tourism Year for Aruba … Just When one Thought It Could Not Get Lower
Following the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in May 2005, the remainder of 
2005 and into 2006 showed a sharp decline in tourism. 2005 saw sharp decreases in the tourism numbers in Aruba as compared to 2004. It is hard to believe that the 2006 Aruban tourism numbers shrank even more.
Does Aruba really want to exchange “stay over visitors” for “cruise ship passengers”? Obviously those that stay on the island will spend more money than a tourist on a cruise ship. Of course one can only speculate as to how Aruba is counting cruise ship passengers these days. Are they those that come to port aboard a ship or those that disembark? Anyway you cut it, 2006 was another down year for tourism in Aruba while the rest of the Caribbean saw increases.
What new PR nightmare awaits Aruba in 2007? It’s been a far cry from “the Natalee Holloway” situation going away in four days. The two year window for the three suspects in on the horizon. What message will Aruba send to the world as to how they deal with crime against tourists? I am sure there will be other surprises to come that Aruba will have to deal with and save face.
In the first eleven months of 2006, stay-over visitors and total nights spent on the island shrank cumulatively by 6.8 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively. In November 2006, the number of stay-over visitors and their nights spent on the island went up by 4.4 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, compared to the corresponding month in 2005. Data on the occupancy rate indicate a decrease of 2.9 percentage points to 76.6 percent in November 2006, compared to a year earlier.
However, a 1.3 percentage points increase was recorded in December 2006, compared to December 2005, bringing the occupancy rate for that month to 75.7 percent. The average occupancy rate for the year 2006, compared to 2005, fell by 4.6 percentage points to 77.1 percent. The number of cruise passenger arrivals and ship calls rose by, respectively, 2.4 percent and 27.5 percent in December 2006. For 2006 as a whole, the number of cruise passengers grew by 7.0 percent to 591,474, the highest number ever recorded. (Aruba Central Bank)
Posted February 20, 2007 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Economy, Natalee Holloway, Travel | 54 comments |
Aruba With Less Tax Revenue … Lower the Budget and end the Civil Servant Nepotism Positions
What are the results of a continued downward spiral of tourism on Aruba? Civil servant fluff 
positions must go to help balance the Aruban budget. All a result of the continued lack of tax revenue coming in from a depleted tourism industry. Aruba has had for quite some time an issue with a glut of civil servant positions hired as “political favors”. However, it is only now that Aruba is feeling the squeeze from the lack of tourism dollar that they now must address the issue to balance the budget.
The number of civil servants has increased enormously since 1986; especially the public order and safety sector grew the most. (You must be kidding)
ORANJESTAD – In order to create a balance in the government receipts and expenditure in 2009, the current increase in personnel costs has to drop with more than 60 percent, and the debt quote has to drop to about 40 percent of the gross domestic product (BBP). Those are the most important conclusions of the national committee public finances that were presented in a final report to the minister today.
I wonder why they can’t pay for the old budget expenditures?
What a surprise that we learn that Aruba when compared with other countries it appears has the highest expenditures in government personnel. What a scary thought that one of the sectors that had growth in civil servant positions was public order and safety. What do they actually do? Or is that the point, these people are hired and are just a drain on the system.
Welcome to the reason why balancing the budget now requires cutting jobs in Aruba … The new face and logo for Aruban tourism.
Punxsutawney Phil Not Only Has a Prediction for Winter … But Aruba Tourism also
Its Ground Hog Day … The prognosticators of prognosticators and seers of seers, Punxsutawney Phil is not only making a prediction for winter, but tourism in Aruba as well.
Looks like Phil is predicting 6 more years of declining tourism. Wake up Aruba.
Leave your comments as to what else you think Phil might say.
Punxsutawney Phil says … “No Justice, no Tourism … Justice for Natalee”
There may actually be more members in the Punxsutawney Phil inner circle than on the beaches of Aruba these days.
What was Phil doing last year?
Posted February 2, 2007 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Fun, Natalee Holloway, Travel | 154 comments |
