Aruban New Admittance Laws Threaten Time Sharing … More Tourism Brilliance

Question: What does a Caribbean Island like Aruba that 75% of their economy depends on tourism do when there tourism has been on the decline for over a year?

Answer: Pass legislation that directly affects Time Sharing and further impacts their tourism, economy and tax revenue.

If we had not witnessed the other mind boggling events that have transpired over the past 15 months in Aruba, we would actually find this bizarre. What next Aruba … raising interest rates into the teeth of a recession?

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Dana Pretzer Friday Night Satellite Radio interviewing Dave Holloway

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Podcast available here

Friday September 8th, 9pm et start time.

Special Guest Dave Holloway

Aruba National Clean Up Day … Its not Just about the Litter Aruba.

Taking out the trash in Aruba … Talk about a metaphor.

Who knew, Aruba has an environmental committee. Traveling around the island one finds litter and illegal waste dumps everywhere. The Aruban Tourism Authority praises its clean, white sandy beaches but does not have much to say for its #98 ranking on National Geographics list of cleanest countries in the world.

That is the advice of Astrid Muller, chairman of the environment committee of Ahata.  She indicated that the emphasis is mostly on the consequences of the fast increasing pollution.  Illegal dumps are sources of dangerous diseases.  Mosquitoes that spread dengue lay their eggs, but also boa constrictors find their refuge in these illegal dumps. 

On the National Geographic list of cleanest countries in the world, Aruba is number 98 and Bonaire 5^th.  “We can’t let it be and we have to do something”, says Jan van Nes, chairman of the Aruba Timeshare Association (ATSA).

(Amigoe)

From illegal dumps to oil spills to plastic bags and trash everywhere, Aruba has really begun to be a trash filled island. Why does the Aruban government want this clean up done now? Tourism of course and the attempt to make Aruba appear to American Tour operators to be something it is not. Sound familiar?

Aruba’s income comes from receiving visitors.  There will be a convention of customers of the big American tour operator GoGo in October; the Queen will visit Aruba in November; and the important Caribbean Marketplace with visitors from around the world will be held here in January.   Muller says that it is about time to do something, because many streets have become illegal dump areas.

The most interesting comments comes from former director of the Portuguese Service for Tourism who told Jan van Nes, chairman of the ATSA.

“that compared with his last visit to Aruba, the island is quite filthy”. 

Ever wonder if dealing with filth and trash may not be a metaphor Aruba? While you are cleaning up the superficial problems that your island has in trash dumps and plastic bags maybe you may want to do the same with crime?

Clean Up Day … Metaphor for the real issue in Aruba

(Hat Tip pic: Klaasend, click pn pic to enlarge)

Aruba may have a few more visitors if you actually abide by laws you have on the books, properly investigate and solves crimes rather than worrying about the trash. Although Aruba obviously has a litter problem that it not the issue that has caused Aruba to have a tainted and dingy image by many. People are not boycotting Aruba or refusing to visit Aruba because of your “illegal waste dump” issues.

Aruba, you do have a filth and trash issue. The sooner you clean up the mess the better it will be for you. However, its not the ‘TRASH” you are referring to. You need to deal with the “trash”, and the sooner the better.

Aruba Travel Ads Getting Desperate … Begging Agents to Book to Aruba … What Will They Give Away Next?

So this is what an Aruban vacation has been reduced to? Solicitation (begging) of travel agents to please … please … book vacations to Aruba. The following was sent to a travel agent to market Aruba. They are going to have to do better than this. Say … Get Justice for Natalee.

Book now and receive
“One Cool Aruba” promotion extras!

Look at the lovely incentives for One Cool Family Vacation.

• Breakfast FREE from kids menu in hotel restaurant
• FREE Daily Kids activities
• and a family gift. 

What’s the family gift? The fact that you actually get to leave Aruba with your entire family that you came with?

15% commissions huh? Guess the  normal 10% commissions were getting any vacations to Aruba sold. 10, 15, 20 percent, its makes no difference. People who just recently came back from Aruba stated it was vacant. As we were told by an expert in the travel industry, travel agents are not booking Aruba. Aruba want to know why your tourism is down? Get to know what your target market thinks.

Yes all agents get this, normal commission is 10%.  However, the agents I speak too, are not booking Aruba, because of safety, and lack of respect for the visitors shown.  It’s sad that those who don’t follow the Holloway case have forgotten about Natalee, but still say Aruba is not safe, and the locals have no respect for their tourist. 

(This is beginning to look like a typical day at the Aruban beach)

Think Aruba is Not Being affected by the decline in Tourism? Ask KLM Airlines.

A constant decline in tourism creates a need in the air travel industry to rethink the size of the aircraft needed and the frequency of trips. Thus is the recent decision by KLM in their flights to Aruba. They refer to such events as “changing market conditions.” The continued one year decline in tourism to Aruba can certainly be called … changing market conditions.

KLM will adjust its service to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba over the next year in response to what it called “changing market conditions.” From summer 2007, all flights will be aboard MD-11s instead of the present mixed fleet of 426-seat 747-400s and 282-seat MD-11s. The MD-11s will be “radically modernized” in the coming months to bring the product in line with the World Business Class and economy class standards of KLM’s new 777s and A330s. Frequencies will be reduced. Aruba will be served four-times-weekly, twice in combination with Bonaire and twice with St. Maarten. Bonaire also will be served five-times-weekly to and from Ecuador. Daily flights to Curacao will be nonstop.

(ATW Daily News)

Not only are the planes being used to travel to Aruba reduced in seat capacity by 144 seats, the frequency of flights will be reduced as well. Maybe Aruba wants to ask itself what caused this “changing market condition”? Can you say … Natalee Holloway. Can you say Aruba’s continued refusal to handle this matter properly?