MOMENTUM...MOMENTUM...MOMENTUM

Don't tell me this grassroots movement isn't working...it is, and it will continue to succeed--slowly but surely. Don't overlook the ATA's excuses for the loss of visitors. They are really good at making excuses...however transparent and lame they are.

ORANJESTAD-The amount of stay-over arrivals fell by 15.8% in January 2006 in comparison to January 2005, to a total amount of 55,590 visitors.


The number of visitor nights spent declined by 10% to 559,554 nights in January 2006 in comparison to the same month last year. The average hotel occupancy rate registered a decline of 2.7% to 83.1% in January 2006 in comparison to 85.8% in January 2005.


Different factors contributed to the decline in stay-over arrivals in January 2006 according to the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA).


(Excuse #1): One of the main factors is that there was approximately 3% less room inventory attributed to the closure of the Occidental Grand for renovations. The closure represented approximately 3,000+ stay-over visitors that had occupied these rooms the year before.


(Excuse #2): In addition to a temporary loss in room inventory other factors were mentioned that include high room rates that resulted in higher revenues for January 2006.

(Excuse #3): Then there is the cancellation of numerous charter flights due to fierce competition of scheduled airlift offering attractive fares. Aruba received 4,090 less charter seats in January 2006 compared to January 2005.

(Excuse #4): The aftermath of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway was also mentioned in addition to the increase of aggressive competition amongst other destinations in the Caribbean region.

North America

Aruba's main generating market the U.S. fell by 20.1% to 40,190 American arrivals in January 2006 in comparison to 50,292 Americans that visited the island in January 2005. The U.S. market-share is of 72.3% of the total amount of visitors that arrived in Aruba in January 2006.


Arrivals from the Northeast region of the U.S. fell by 16% to a total of 10,102 Americans, arrivals from the Midwest region fell by 36%. The fall in arrivals from the U.S. Northeast and Midwest regions is attributed to the cancellation of charters (Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis) and the reduction of seats from Boston.

The Western region is the only U.S. region that grew. Arrivals from the West coast grew by 16.6%, representing a total of 2,575 American arrivals and a market-share of 6.4% from the total amount of U.S. arrivals that visited the island in January 2006.


The U.S. West coast was less affected by the Natalee Holloway disappearance and Americans from the West Coast had the tendency to stay at other branded high-rise hotels. The Occidental renovations did not play a factor in the decision making of visitors from that region according to ATA. Increase air connection from the West coast mainly from Houston contributed positively to the growth.

Entire article here