Misery Index Continues in Aruba as Tourism Numbers Fall for Feb & March 2006

Aruba has hit the misery index trifecta for February and March 2006 … tourism down, occupancy down, inflation up. How long will the powers that be allow this to continue … or should I say afford this to continue. Amigoe: Also Bank observed decrease tourism 

ARUBA – The Central Bank of Aruba (CBA) published her monthly bulletin for May, in which is stated that the tourism figures decreased, the money quantity dropped and the inflation went up.   Remarkable is that the tourism figures are related to February and March and not to May. The Bank explains in her bulletin that Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) has not yet published the figures for April and May of this year.  CBA could therefore only compare the figures for February and March with same months last year.  The number of visitors in February and March 2006 decreased with respectfully 11.1 and 18.2 percent.   The number of stay over tourists dropped with 5.6 and 15.6 percent in February and March respectfully. The Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS) registered the average occupancy in hotels for the month of May, which are 74.2 percent; 3.8 percent lower than same month last year.

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Amigoe Aruba: Development tourism calls for action (Denial, Aruba still just doesn’t get it)

Lee indicated that the tourism in Aruba is the best indicator for economic growth, since the economy relies on the tourist sector.  The number of visitors to Aruba had dropped since August of 2005, compared to the year before.  In February and March of this year, the number of stay over tourists dropped with respectively 11.1 and 18.2 percent, compared with same months last year.  Also the room occupancy in the hotels continues to drop and also the spending done by tourists during their vacation.

Aruba wishes to change this trend but they refuse to accept the reason why the decline in tourism exists in the first place. Since August 2005 tourism has declines in Aruba. What event took place Aruba on your island for this to occur?

No other place in the Caribbean is experiencing a decline in tourism.In fact other Caribbean islands are up drastically, like Jamaica. We warned Arubans and the media that it would take time for a noticeable decline in tourism to take place.However, once it happened it would be drastic and almost irreversible.

“A consistent decrease in the export of tourism will lead to a decline of our economic situation in 2006.  So, it’s time to take actions.  Our challenge is now to proof that we can reverse this trend.  The problems with the tourism are attributed to the economic- and tourist policy pursued in the past years. 

It does not seem to matter which party discusses the issue of the decline of tourism in Aruba … they all get it wrong. Aruba, you actually think that your double digit decline is a result of “tourist policies” in the past years? Get your head out of the sand and admit your guilt. Unless one considers the incompetence and willingness of a cover-up in the disappearance of an American teenager girl, Natalee Holloway, a tourist policy. If not, you have no idea what you are talking about.

One event happened on Aruba and not in the rest of the Caribbean. That is the reason why your tourism is a disaster. The continual denial, cover up and mishandling of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Nothing more, nothing less. To continually refuse to state the obvious only makes more and more Americans unwilling to travel to Aruba Why should they, if this is the precedent you have set if they go missing in Aruba.

At some point Aruban officials will get a clue. If not, they will continue to see disastrous tourism numbers and in turn see their economy reach all time lows. Denial is such a terrible thing. People are never willing to forgive if their is no honest contrition. However, after 13 months it is obvious to many that there is none thus no individuals have decided to repay Aruba’s actions by making the conscious choice to avoid it at all cost.

Aruba … your tourism problem is linked to one issue as much as you want to spin and BS your own people. That issue is Natalee Holloway. Solve the case, do the right thing, bring those responsible to justice. Maybe, just maybe after 13 months if you do that people might consider coming to Aruba. If not, they will never venture the thought.

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Joran Van der Sloot to Write Book … I think we can help him with a book title.

So Joran Van der Sloot plans to write a book. Who knew he could  write, because he sure enough does not seem to be able the recollect the truth. Dutch publisher Sijthoff   has bought the right for this upcoming book. Rather telling how no American publishing company would touch this rag with a ten foot pole. Wonder if that has anything to do with the civil law suit in the US that is pending?

Dutch publisher Sijthoff has bought the exclusive rights for a book about the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway on the autonomous Dutch island of Aruba last year. Journalist Zvezdana Vukojevic has based the  book on statements made by the main suspect, Dutch teen Joran van der Sloot.   It will be published in 2007.

With Joran Van der Sloot’s version of what occurred in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, I guess we can look for it in your local book store or on Amazon.com in the fiction section. Maybe the publisher will create an on-line, interactive book, where you create what statement and evidence that you wish to chose? Much like the many versions of the events that Joran Van der Sloot told the ALE. Which version will the publisher use, wait until 2007.

They claim that the book will be published in 2007; however, you do not have to wait that long as we have what we think may be an actual  idea of what the book should look like.

Pimp’n & Porn for Dummies

(Hat Tip Picture: Klaasend)

In all reality what earth shattering revelations is Joran Van der Sloot going to bless us with? You mean there may actually be a new truth that he has not shared with the ALE, the prosecution or the media? Say it isn’t so. You, withhold the truth, never.

Just wondering Joran but are any of the chapters going to deal with how its possible to meet, greet, talk and leave with a girl you have never met before in less than 30 minutes while your accomplice is already in the get-away car with the engine running? Then again, you have done this 20 times before … so you must be an expert. Do tell how you manage to accomplish such a coup?

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Aruba: “The tourism has been doing a little better in the past months. Really?

One really needs to wonder whether anything can believed anymore coming from Aruba. Upon implementing the Tourism Fund, backed by the Central Bank, we hear more utter nonsense come from Aruban officials as to the state of their tourism. You have not been honest about Natalee Holloway, why would anyone think they would be honest about their tourism?

“That’s exactly what’s happening now”, said Eman.   “The tourism has been doing a little better in the past months.   The number of visitors has been dropping with a worrisome average of 15 percent in the past months.   Nevertheless, we noticed in the budget that the amount for tourism promotion was lowered with 5 million florins.  

When will any Aruban politician be truthfully with their own people? Your tourism has been doing better in the past months? Really? What planet do you live on? We like to call the one we are on earth.

• According to the Bank, the cruise passengers have dropped with almost 40 percent in October of this year (2005). The hotel occupancy was almost 78 percent in October 2005.
• 3rd Qtr 2005: The 3rd quarter from 2005 showed a -3.5% decrease of airline passengers.
• 4th Qtr 2005: 7.4% decrease passengers to Queen Beatrix Airport compared to 2004
• The airport of Aruba saw a drop of 12.8 percent in the number of handled passengers in the first quarter of this year.

The number of flight movements dropped with 2.8 percent, announced the Aruba Airport Authority. With 250.585 American passengers, the percentage is lower than last year in the first quarter, namely 15 percent.

• 1st Qtr 2006: In the monthly bulletin of April that the Central Bank of Aruba (CBA) published recently is stated that in the first quarter of 2006, 14.7 percent less tourists visited Aruba than in 2005.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  
• From those figures appeared that tourists in January 2006 spent 15.8 percent less than in 2005.

  

Improving? Hardly. Its getting worse if that is even possible. It has gone from single digit losses to consistent double digit quarterly decreases. Let alone not only is the number of tourists down to Aruba but the ones that actually go are paying less for a room. The only thing that appears to be increasing is inflation.So now with all this loss of government tax revenue from a depleted tourism industry, the people of Aruba will have further tax funded social programs taken away from them due to the fact that The Tourism fund will take its money from room taxes.

Once this national ordinance is passed, there will be a separate fund that is independent from the government treasury.   The Tourism-minister will use this fund to pay the pursuers of the promotion policy in the USA, Europe, and Latin America, without being impeded by the problems of liquidity by the rest of the government.   Ã‚  

The tourism fund will be nurtured by the proceeds of the hotel room tax, which means that the proceeds of the tourist sector will be used directly for the promotion of the tourism.  

Anyone want to guess who will lose out on this when such monies are taken from the general tax fund and specifically given to tourism for marketing purposes? That’s right the Aruban people. No wonder the socialized insurance industry could not pay for an Aruban womans brain  tumor treatment. Its all about the tourism at all cost.

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Aruba Creating Tourism Fund; At this Point You will have to do more than that to Market Aruba

Aruban Fund to Promote Tourism, Room tax to promote Tourism

aka … Robbing Peter to pay Paul

Without dealing with the real issue as to why tourists are not coming to Aruba, they can spend all the money they like, it will make no difference.

(AM Digital, click on article to enlarge)

According to the AM Digital article,

Tourism fund will be financed by revenues received from room taxes. This way the promotion of tourism will not depend on the Government or on the Ministers of Tourism and Finance to funds available. The funds are already there.

For some reason Aruba thinks that this will create a scenario that there will be no situation where sufficient funds will not be available to promote tourism.

Someone may need to explain to Aruba that there is no guarantee of room tax money to promote tourism. They are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Aruba, a room tax vs. and import tax is just one pocket of the Aruba tax base. To suddenly take the room tax and put it toward the promotion of tourism means that the social programs where this room tax money was being spent is now going without.

This year the tourism budget dropped from 33 to 28 million florins.

No matter how one looks at this situation, without tourism and the taxes that Aruba has become accustomed to from that tourism … they are hurting.

It is hard to imagine that Aruba still thinks that they can market their way out of their tourism decline. You can spend all the money you want to try and convince people, but as some of your front page commenters have stated without dealing with the root issue, finding Natalee and prosecuting those responsible your marketing efforts are just be  … “lip-sticking a pig”.