This week many international stakeholders arrived to meet with the locals, to attend the Aruba Global Travel Conference together. It is an event in which the Aruba Tourism Authority reviews the year, anticipates another year, and points out the challenges and opportunities in the tourism industry. In this way ATA, being the engine of our tourism, aligns with all partners so that together we perceive for further development, growth and improvement of our products.
I am excited to be in front of you today, as we continue our successful trajectory in the world of tourism. This year’s event is extra special for many reasons, but the most notable one is that it marks a historic moment for our organization and for our destiny. For the first time in history, we are here together, uniting three of our key markets, namely North America, Latin America and Europe in a single conference,” were the words of the Chief Executive Officer of the Aruba Tourism Authority, Ronella Croes.
Looking back, we are extremely proud of the achievements during previous years. By 2023, we predict that tourism receipts will see a significant increase, and it is projected to close 2023 with an increase/growth of 21%. In addition, the number of global visitor arrivals will exceed the levels of 2019, and forecasts indicate a growth of 10% by the end of 2023, compared to the year 2022″
Along with this, Ronella Croes announced that the ATA plan and budget for the year 2024 is ready and approved. In the following days it will be presented to the Minister of Tourism. Another year is predicted to become a record year for tourism, both air and cruise, surpassing any other record in the past. In the plans for another year, extra attention was set for trends to be taken into account, including local ones, such as putting extra attention on our security. Another trend is the number of hotel rooms that will come extras through hotels that are kept ready and projects on the street and without forgetting the work aspect that this entails. For the expansion of accommodations, this is a fact, as such we will have to optimize opportunities and mitigate impacts, impacts on our environment and nature, but also the influence of possible imports of workers, with all the social effects, in our education system, housing, security, health, etc.
As for the work aspect, we have to focus on solutions to the lack of people to work, but we also have to focus on proper training. Finally, the issue of carrying capacity and the necessary balance also came forward. A lot of efforts have been made to elevate, embed and update the Aruba tourism product. Bearing in mind that the mentioned points that could be said are not points that only Aruba is experiencing. Rather, it was recognized that Aruba is going through similar challenges with other destinations and focused on the attention that is put on it and the actions that are taken.
He silenced the role of ATA and the importance of maintaining a solid management. ATA’s organizational model should be safeguarded and not risk negatively impacting it. Seeing that there are challenges another year, it is anticipated that tourists will not spend as much as was done after the pandemic. The situation is expected to normalize. The Aruba Tourism Authority is pleased to be able to continue contributing to the economic growth of our country. The meetings have been good and everyone is on the same line to continue taking Aruba to the next level of development together. Taking into account that a successful development of tourism is anchored in the “High Value Low Impact Tourism Model”. This is where the four aspects must be in balance, that is, the quality of life of the resident, the quality of the visitor experience, the protection and conservation of our nature, and the economic contribution to the tourism sector.
