CENTRALE BANK VAN ARUBA: Summary of the monthly bulletin of the Centrale Bank van Aruba

More terrible economic and tourism reporting out of Aruba. The tourism numbers continue to decrease. The June 2006 numbers follow the patter of tourism decline since the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The continued loss of tourism for 2006 is rather significant in the fact that they will now be compared to 2005 when there was also a loss of tourism on a monthly basis. The fact that tourism is now compared to a negative number and still decreases on a monthly basis, just compounds the plight faced by Aruba.

In June 2006, the number of stay-over visitors and their nights spent on the island fell by 8.8 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively, compared to the corresponding month in 2005. Available data for the first six months of 2006 show that stay-over tourists and their nights spent on the island decreased by 10.3 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively. Figures on tourist arrivals and nights spent on the island for July and August 2006 are not yet available.

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average occupancy rate of the hotels contracted by 3.1 percentage points to 80.6 percent in August 2006, compared to the corresponding month a year earlier.

Data published by the Cruise Tourism Authority show that the number of cruise passengers increased by 21.5 percent in August 2006, when compared to the corresponding month of 2005. In contrast, the number of ship calls decreased by 14.2 percent. (Central Bank of Aruba)

Previous posts:

Aruban Tourism Down Again; What Will it take to Wake these people Up? What Are they Hiding?

Aruban Tourism … Still An Endangered Species

Aruban Tourism … Still An Endangered Species

(Vanderbilt – ‘06)

On your mark, ready, set, “BANG”, they’re off and competing in the 2006 Caribbean Tourism 10K.
Oooops, everyone got off the line with great speed except the Aruban entry. The stakes are extremely high in this race and we notice the Island lags quite far behind it’s peers in this event. Our prayers are for a burst of insight to strike those who are in a position to do something about it.

The rest of the Caribbean is experiencing some nice tourism numbers; however, Aruba is not. They still continue to report a constant decline even after being compared to last years disastrous post “Natalee Holloway missing” tourism. When Aruba attached themselves to the three suspects in the manner in which they did, this situation was foreseeable to everyone. Everyone that is except Aruba.

The Hotel occupancy rates for Curacao Highest Level in Years, Not so for Aruba … We wonder why?

As the occupancy rates in Curacao are at their highest levels in years, Aruba finds itself in a continual pattern of decline. Since Natalee Holloway went missing and the subsequent disaster of what was called an investigation into her disappearance, Aruba has suffered disastrous tourism numbers. While the rest of the Caribbean is up, Aruba finds itself mired in its own mess. One might say that the rest of the Caribbean may be benefiting from Aruba’s loss. So why is it a sister Island like Curacao has success and Aruba does not? I do not think it takes a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

Not only are the occupancy rates higher than in recent years, but the average room price is higher. How much higher the prices are, was not made available. 

To this point 2006 has been a super year in terms of occupancy rates. January started off well with a rate of 86.45 percent, followed by the top-month of February with an average occupancy rate of almost 90 percent (89.9 percent, to be precise). With a rate of 88.2 percent, March was also exceptionally good. April, May, June, and July respectively had occupancy rates of 81.5, 79.5, 72.9, and 75.6 percent. 

(ABC Islands)

We had warned from the outset when Natalee Holloway went missing that this would not be good for tourism. The manner in how Aruba conducted the investigation only added to their demise. The perception of safety and a tourist island doing the right thing is in the eye of the beholder, not a spin or marketing campaign.  As others in the Caribbean have seen increases, Aruba continues on the downward spiral. The 4th quarter of 2005 saw a 7.4% decrease in passengers to the Queen Beatrix Airport. The Central Bank of Aruba also reported a 14.7% decrease in airport passengers in the 1st quarter of 2006.  

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“Drug Combo Killed” Anna Nicole Smith’s Son TYPO … Aruba, ever wonder why The Dark Cloud Never Goes Away?

If Aruba ever wondered why their tourism continues to decline and their plight is no better today and getting worse, one needs to only look at the Anna Nicole Smith article from WLTX 19 regarding her son’s death. Think Aruba does not have a certain connotation and symbolic representation?

“Daniel Smith, 20, died in Aruba September 10 in a hospital room where his

mother had just given birth to a daughter.”

Woops, and we thought it was in the Bahamas. A screen shot was taken of the above article from WLTX earlier today. Since the capture, they have made the correction. How many calls were made to WLTX from the ATA?

It certainly says a lot when a story is written, edited and still the death occurs in Aruba. Aruba, do you even understand the mind-set that exists in America with regards to your island? As in the case of the above article, it is in the American sub-conscience that Aruba is where people die. This article could have made a “typo” and picked any Caribbean island. However, that was not the case. They chose Aruba.

Now imagine that being the same mind-set of tourist as they chose a vacation destination. Wonder why your tourism is still a disaster? Its really not that difficult to understand. There is no amount of marketing money that is going to change this … only Justice for Natalee.

Aruban Budget Cuts Affect Building Requirements at KIA … Think the Natalee Holloway legacy is not Affecting Aruba?

Arubans, think your financial woes are not a result of a post Natalee Holloway world? You better think again. Your government officials can point to every excuse under the sun; however, all of your problems began on May 29, 2005 … “This Can’t Be Good For Tourism, Where’s Natalee Holloway”. There comes a point and time where people must stand up and demand answers. This situation is not going away. All the predictions that it would have been miserably wrong.

It first begins with a horrible injustice done to a tourist visiting Aruba and her family. Then it continues with tourists not visiting Aruba upset at the matter. It further continues with even more tourists not going to Aruba as they are outraged by the manner in how an investigation was done and how a family was treated. As tourism declines, so to does the money spent in Aruba and in turn the tax revenues generated decline to the government. The government budgets for social programs to Arubans are cut as are projects in Aruba.

As tourism dwindles, Arubans are laid off and those businesses that have always depended on tourism suffer. The government has to raise money to maintain their lofty budgets tax the people. As they tax more and more, they also cut projects and look the other way and things that are typically referred to as requirements.

Thus is the case in Aruba where the KIA is the latest to feel the hit from the lack of revenue coming into Aruba.

ARUBA – With the expansion of the KIA and in consideration of the costs, the government has decided not to comply with the building requirements.  The new wards for young prisoners and women do not have an emergency exit.  That became clear at the budget negotiations of the ministry of Justice.

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