Natalee Case Discussion #713 1/16 - 1/20/08
klaasend:
Competition Among Caribbean Islands Has Never Been So Aggressive
January 16th 2008, Aruba.
Rob Smith, Director of AHATA
ORANJESTAD-The new Director of Aruba Hotel And Tourism Association
(AHATA), Rob Smith wants to create a tourism fund in the short run. The
fund should count on the participation of both the hotel sector and the
public sector.
Smith calls it a "super marketing fund". All the money deposited in the
fund will be spent on marketing Aruba abroad. Smith says that the hotels
member to AHATA are willing to raise the tourism tax by 1 percent to
help finance the fund.
The raise of 1 percent in tourism tax could lead to a slight increase in
room-rates at hotels that participate in the fund.
The government of Aruba allocates close to 10 million dollars annually to
promote the island abroad through Aruba Tourism Authority. AHATA is
an independent tourism organization in which its members (majority of
the hotels) pay a membership fee. That money is used to market the
member hotels and the island abroad.
With the prospect of an additional fund more money will be allocated for
marketing the island abroad. The need of more marketing money is
essential for the well being of the tourism industry in Aruba, as the island
is facing increase fierce competition from other islands in the region.
Aruba is viewed as very strong competitor in the region.
http://www.aruba-bb.com/viewtopic.php?t=53670
klaasend:
Accommodations Much Expensive In The Last Quarter Of 2007
January 18th 2008, Aruba.
Accomodations in Aruba are increasingly becoming luxurious, and that
does not come without an increase in rates.
ORANJESTAD-The average daily room rate rose sharply in the last
quarter of 2007. The completion of renovations and upgrades of many
hotel rooms, the high demand for Aruba in the last quarter of 2007, and
increase operational costs have triggered the substantial increase in room
rates.
An average daily room rate of US$149,10 was registered in October
2007, a 17.2 percent increase compared to October 2006. The average
daily room rate in November was of US$169,35, a 19 percent increase
compared to November 2006. An average daily room rate of $256,96
was noted in December 2007, that is a 16.3 percent increase compared to
December 2006.
The annual average daily room rate for 2007 was lower than that of 2006,
despite the sharp rise in average daily room rates in the last three
months of 2007. This is attributed to a decline in average daily room rates
in the first five months of last year. The average daily room rate for the
year 2007 stood at US$204,61, a decline of 4.2 percent compared to 2006.
January, February, March and April tend to have the highest daily
average room rate of the year. December 2007 was the month with
highest daily average room rate US$256,96. September had the lowest
average daily room rate during 2007, US$136,17. September is
traditionally a slow month for tourism in Aruba, mainly attributed to the
peak in the Atlantic hurricane season, and thus less demand to travel to
the Caribbean region.
The revenue per available room rose to US$62,24 in October 2007, a 9.2
percent increase compared to October 2006. The revenue per available
room was of US$82,51 in November 2007, an increase of 23.3 percent
compared to November 2006. The last month of 2007 registered a
revenue per available room of US$121,20, an increase of 24 percent
compared to December 2006.
The revenue per available room for the year 2007 was of US$99,30, a
decline of 5.9 percent compared to 2006. The annual decline is attributed
to the decrease in revenue per available room in the first five months of
2007. The total room revenue was of US$210 million in 2007, a 2.4
increase compared to 2006.
The hotel average occupancy rate stood at 79.6 percent for 2007, that is
a decline of 2.4 percentage points compared to the hotel average
occupancy rate of 2006. May is the month with the lowest hotel average
occupancy rate, 67.8 percent. February 2007 had the highest hotel
average occupancy rate of the year, 85.2 percent.
http://www.aruba-bb.com/viewtopic.php?t=53772
Observer:
When we were at the Boston Travel Show last year the other Carribean destinations had huge grins on there faces when talking about Aruba with us. They were not shy at all when discussing Aruba :wink:
Tylergal:
Quote from: Pita on January 18, 2008, 08:45:37 PM
Quote from: ******* on January 18, 2008, 08:35:07 PM
A few pics of Sander Gottenbos from July 2007 on team Aruba. He is listed as playing for a team in Eindhoven Holland for the 2007-2008 season.
http://www.dac-image.com/displayimage.php?album=20&pos=19
Is that Koen in the background with the white hat?
Koen has that look on his face, a la Joran, that he has smelled his breath and it's day old fish and beer.
downloadingdaddy:
From the persistence, this teared me up. It is beautiful. Thank you Persistence crew, you are fantastic!
Friday, January 18, 2008
XIII. Stay the Course
SPECIAL UPDATE: Fri 18-Jan 2335 hrs
We would like to specifically address one comment left on the blog which likely represents the sentiments of many.
“You guys have been out there for quite a long time now... I was really hoping for results by now. I can't help but begin to think she won't be found” -Overwhelming_Sadness
Quoting John Silvetti- Fri 18-Jan 2300 hrs
“It is easy to lose heart if one confuses expectations with hopes and desires. The nature of a marine search, especially one in which the method and disposition of the item you are searching for is unknown, requires a painstakingly slow and methodical disqualification process. The logic is no different than trying to find your car keys. The methodology is: you look where you were recently. We look where it is believed to be, based on evidence or reports. When you and I do not locate what we are looking for in the most logical place, we move on to the next logical place. Ultimately, we both confirm the old saying, “It is always in the last place you look”.
Unknown topography and terrain, combined with large seas have slowed us down but it has not stopped us. We have surveyed and investigated a large area, disqualified most of it, and moved on to an even larger area. At times our progress has been exceedingly fast and slow at other times. We do however, “STAY THE COURSE”....PERSISTENCE.
Our hopes and desires also were to find Natalee before Christmas so we could help bring closure to the Holloway family as our gift to them. Then, we could return home to our families to enjoy the holiday season and hug our children a little tighter... but, it was not meant to be that easy...and we understand.
–John Silvetti.”
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