To facilitate the growth of its rapidly growing cruise tourism business, the government of the Caribbean island of Aruba has appointed Mario Arends as its Cruise Manager. His job is to “reinforce the position of Aruba as a cruise destination in the Caribbean," Alan Lam reports.
According to official figures, during 2013 the island welcomed 688,472 cruise tourists from over 350 calls, representing 18.2% increase from the previous year.
However, in the current year, up till August, there has only been an accumulated increase of 4.0%. Mr Alands forecast this year’s overall number to be similar to that of 2013, falling short of expectation. This slowdown is attributed to various factors, among them the FIFA World Cup in Brazil that has taken some traffic from the Caribbean.
The island’s current port improvement programme will help creating a new momentum of growth. It also hopes to attract cruise tourists to the island for longer stays, as up till now most of them only arrive in Aruba for brief visits.
