RSSRitz Carlton to Aruba … No Incentives … No Deal. Who Calls the shots in Aruba?
Something seems very fishy is Aruba. Check out why The Ritz Carlton claims they are going back on their deal. They claim the Aruban government made promises and are not keeping them. Import duty exemptions. This shocks who?
The Ritz Carlton has informed the Aruban government that they are going back to their original plan for a high rise resort. The Ritz Carlton stated that the Aruban government has promised them incentives in granting them an exemption in paying import duties on building materials for the project. The Aruban government states that such an incentive is not legally possible because such a law was abolished in 2003.
Who promised who what? Just remember Aruba, internet search engines can be very interesting.
(AM Digital, click on article to enlarge)
A couple questions come to mind when reading this story between The Ritz Carlton and the Aruban Government.
1. Who runs the show in Aruba as to what is and is not allowed to be built on the island? It would almost appear that the developers and foreign entity have more power to dictate what is built, when, where and how.
2. If a law was abolished in 2003 to provide incentives to developers in waiving import taxes, how could anything have been promised to The Ritz Carlton? Or is this a convenient way for the Ritz Carlton to back out of a previously existing deal and for the Aruban government to save face for what might be the real reason?
Could it be that the Ritz see the present tourism trend in Aruba and is not willing to commit the funds that they stated they would. They claimed they would opt away from the high-rise so not to interfere with wind patters for wind surfing. So much for that idea.Of course why would the Ritz hold to a deal, especially since import taxes have been increased by the Aruban government that would eat into the Ritz’ bottom line.
Take a good look at this post from Aruba.com forum from November 2005 . Google can be so unforgiving. This post of a newspaper article clearly states the deal has been made and tax incentives have been granted by the Aruban government. So who is not telling the truth? It would appear that Aruba did offer exemptions to the Ritz Carlton to make the deal. So who is fibbing?
ORANJESTAD-It is official and approved, Ritz Carlton will be operational in Aruba in 2008. This comes after 3 years of negotiations between Bazarian International Financial Associates the representatives of Ritz Carlton and the government of Aruba. The government of Aruba granted Ritz Carlton attractive incentives that include exemption of import duties.
I guess the Ritz is rethinking that “most expensiveproject” in its history that was entered into back in November 2005 when the Aruban tourism was in full spin mode regarding its tourism numbers. Who in their right mind would invest this type of money into the teeth of a dwindling Aruban economy, coupled with an increased import tax? It is obvious that a tax incentive deal was made and someone wanted out of it.
Ritz Carlton will construct a 200 million US dollar hotel in Aruba in what is the most expensive project in the history of the luxury hotel chain. The Ritz property will be low-rise and consists out of 250 rooms.
On an even more bizarre note, check out the area where the Ritz Carlton was going to build. Look familiar? Right next door to the Marriott Hotel where Joran Van der Sloot claimed he and Natalee Holloway got out of the car and walked up the beach to the Fisherman’s Huts.
What are the odds that this would be the same place? One just can’t make this stuff up. This is also the area of the infamous white bag from the Aru-bay videos. Maybe while excavating on this footprint they will find Joran’s shoes … or Natalee Holloway.
Compare this area to this link which shows the road traveled by the red pickup from the Aru-bay videos.
Below is the area to the left of the Marriott facing it from the ocean where Joran Van der Sloot claims he was dropped off with Natalee Holloway. The future site of the Ritz Carlton.
Now compare the map to one where all of the above information fits into play.
Â
Â
Posted July 11, 2006 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Business, Economy, Joran Van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway, Travel | 2 comments |
Aruban Tourism … Different Month, same Results … February & March Down Significantly
This is beginning to become like a broken record … A broken record that will 
not change unless Aruban officials fix the root problem … Aruban Tourism down.
The following numbers are for February and March, 2006
- The number of stay-over visitors dropped by 11.1% and 18.2%, respectively compared to 2005
- Visitor nights spent on Aruba decreased by 5.6% and 15.6%, respectively.
The records were available for April or May, 2006 … No wonder. Let us go out on a limb and state that they will be down from last year. The odds are even money.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average occupancy rate of hotels dropped by 3.8% to 74.2% in May 2006 compared to last year.
Aruba did report that cruise ship passengers were up, which looks a little suspect. Would like to know how they count their passengers as to if they are booked on a cruise or if they actually leave the ship.
And one other economic indicator is up as well for May 2006. The average rate of inflation accelerated to 3.9%, up from 2.9% a year before.
(AM Digital, Click on article to enlarge)
How many months will have to go by before they come clean? Aruba boasted last year in an attempt to spin the overall 2005 numbers that their tourism was ahead of pace for the first six months of 2005. Well of course it was … that was BNH, before Natalee Holloway.
At this rate Aruba will not even benefit from the head count they received last year from the media flocking to Aruba to cover the story of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, nor Texas EquuSearch and all the volunteers that came to Aruba as well.
The trickle down affect of a slumping economy provides nothing more that a greater burden of the government and social programs. Many have even been suspect of the numbers that have been reported.
Solving the case and prosecuting the guilty would go a long way to even considering getting your tourism back. That would be a hint.
Posted July 10, 2006 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Economy, Natalee Holloway, Texas Equusearch | one comment |
Natalee Holloway Investigation … One Year Later … Aruba wanted an Apology from Beth Twitty
One year ago … July 6, 2005 … this nonsense was going on then. Watch and listen 
to the video from a “Day Side” interview with Janet Yearman. A woman, who considers herself an Aruban. Seems like she forgot where she came from and what are true priorities.
This woman was more intent on getting an apology from Beth Twitty for calling the Kalpoe’s criminals rather than investigating the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Only one month into the investigation and their was an opinion on the island that their pride was more important than the desperation of the mother of a missing teenager.
It is amazing to look back and see just how early in the investigation people had a rather peculiar outlook on the disappearance. Aruba wonders why it is in the predicament that it is today with tourism. All one has to do is look back and see what they were saying and thinking one year ago today.
Aruban Tourism Down Again; What Will it take to Wake these people Up? What Are they Hiding?
fourth quarter of 2005; they thought wrong. Of course there was the previously posted disastrous tourism numbers from Amigoe, Number of Airport passengers in Aruba dropped vigorously by 12.8 percent. Spin as they might have in the past and having all but lied about the declining tourism, Aruba finds itself in a pickle. For 2005, less passengers arrived at the Airport Reina Beatrix than in 2004. It appears that the decline continues. The number of cruising tourists decreased in April 2006 with 12.9 percent with respect to a year rather and came in 17.1 percent less cruising ships there. The number of tourists that by plane arrived, decreased with 14.7 percent.
3 percent in tourism is considered bad. But continual double digit losses. We go back and are reminded of the AP article that stated, the Boycott will have no affect. Want to make any more intelligent predictions?Gov. Bob Riley’s call for a tourist boycott of Aruba, where a Mississippi native has been missing since May 30, had little or no immediate impact and is unlikely to deter trips to the Caribbean island, travel experts said.
“We really have not seen a significant change in interest in travel to Aruba,” said Justin McNaull, AAA Travel spokesman.
But those who research boycotts say this one may be a futile effort.
ORANJESTAD – In the first trimester of 2006 less tourists came to Aruba than in 2005th this state in the maandbulletin over April by means of the airport 14.7 percent, which published the central bank of Aruba (CBA) recently.CBA do not have recent figures which show the spending amount of tourists. The last figures which Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) published, dating January 2006. From those figures appeared that tourists in January 2006 spent 15.8 percent less than in 2005
Posted July 5, 2006 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Economy, Judicial, Natalee Holloway | one comment |
Aruba had Money to Pay Police Overtime, But not for a Brain Tumor Victim?
There has been an on-going battle in Aruba between the Police and the Aruban government over the issue of overtime. Threatened walk-outs and strikes by the police and the threat of non-payment by the Aruban government. Of course that does beg the question, why would they get overtime in the first place? We are told it is “One Safe Island”. What crime could they possibly be preventing or investigating that would cause a need for overtime? Would these crimes be officially reported?
However, it is interesting how these over-time numbers were never an issue prior to Aruba falling on hard times due to the loss of tourism as a result from the “unofficial” boycott by individual American travelers to Aruba. The loss of tax revenue to the island has exposed so “creative” spending. It would seem that providing over-time to the police was never an issue, but of course one wonders what other forms of spending were hampered by police over-time on an island that claims they are safe and have no crime. So where and why is overtime really paid?
The answer as to who is hurt in the process, Eliza Duym. It seems that private enterprise had to come to the aid of this woman when AZV would not.
When you hire employees you are legally responsible to transfer the contributions to the social security benefits system to the government and the Social Insurance Bank. The system presently comprises old age pensions, widow and orphan insurance, severance pay, accident insurance and health care. For more information on the mechanism of these schemes and thereto related issues visit the website www.belastingdienst.aw The government reformed the various health care schemes into one general health insurance fund, called AZV (“Algemene Ziektekosten Verzekering”). AZV will provide health care coverage for the entire population and implement a contribution system. To request detailed information on this universal health insurance (AZV) visit the website: www.azvaruba.com
Thanks to local radio station, they were able to raise the money necessary for Eliza Duym’s medical treatment that AZV refused to pay. Local radio raised 20,000 fl for her in which AZV refused to cover her 10,000 fl request for treatment on her brain tumor. Keep in mind AZV is a government formed health insurance fund. So much for socialized medicine.
(AM Digital, click on article to enlarge)
Posted July 1, 2006 by Scared Monkeys Aruba, boycott, Economy, Media, Natalee Holloway | 11 comments |
