According to travel studies worldwide, travelers are more likely to stay local when traveling, before deciding to visit other countries.

This decision to stay close to home is based on the fear of coronavirus.

As the fear for coronavirus slowly eases away, and travelers make plans for travel outside of their own countries, which destination are you visiting first?

Aruba’s Tourism Authority has been supporting the island’s travel industry by promoting the island’s culture, heritage, and food in the hopes of inspiring travelers to visit Aruba.

 If you’ve never been to Aruba before, or if the island is your go-to spot in the Caribbean, here’s 5 reasons why you should visit Aruba as soon as lockdowns are lifted.

1 – New “Health & Happiness Code” Makes Aruba Safe

I understand it, you’re probably scared or worried about coronavirus. It’s on everyone’s mind. 

But when it comes to Aruba, your fears should melt away. Because Aruba is one of the islands in the Caribbean that is ahead of the pack when it comes to flattening the coronavirus curve.

Slowing down the spread of COVID-19 and having zero active cases at the moment, Aruba’s taking additional safety measures to get back to the new normal.

One of these safety measures is the island’s new Health & Happiness certification program developed by the Aruba Tourism Authority.

The Health & Happiness certification is a program to elevate hygiene, health, and sanitation protocols to a level travelers and locals demand as a part of the new normal lifestyle due to coronavirus.

This certification program is important because it focuses on protecting your health and safety. 

You should feel safe that businesses displaying this “Health and Happiness” gold seal sticker at the forefront of their business are implementing health, hygiene, and sanitation protocols designed to keep the establishment coronavirus free. 

Restaurants, hotels, and attractions are slowly starting to open with strict application of safety measures. There are over 300 businesses on the island that already received their health & happiness code.

These businesses include accommodations, retail, supermarkets tour operators, activities, transport, spa, casinos, food trucks, food & beverage.

The Golden Safety Sticker You Should Look Out For…

2 – Business Are Upgrading Their Service & Products

During the downtime, businesses in the tourism sector are upgrading their establishment and upgrading their services for visitors in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Restaurants are updating their menus, reducing crowd sizes. Hotel staff received additional training on safety and health guidelines. Taxis have new protocols to transport visitors. Casinos are protecting their players by separating machines with Plexiglas and social distancing and implementing smoke-free game rooms. Supermarkets are guiding visitors with direction markers. 

These new safety measures and upgrades to the business means visitors will experience a superior quality of service.

I Love Aruba, Do You?

3 – Aruba Depends on Tourism

Aruba has an official population of over 113,000 people and 58.000 people work in the island’s labor force, but the entire island’s economy and main source of income depends on tourism.

Without visitors, the economy isn’t much on the island.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, tourism accounted for 98.3% of Aruba’s GDP of $2.9 billion and generated 99% of all employment in 2019.

How many visitors does Aruba get? 

In 2019 a total of 1.113.840 stopover visitors and 832.001 cruise visitors enjoyed one happy island.

The majority of visitors in 2019 came from USA (75%). Four percent of visitors were from Canada, another four percent came from The Netherlands and 17% came from the rest of the world. 

The Central Bank of Aruba estimated that visitors in 2019 generated a total of $2.1 billion in tourism credits. This includes tourism sales and timeshare maintenance fees.

Related Articles – Read Our Latest Blog Articles

Continue to Support Local & Small Business.

4 – Nature Restored Itself

The absence of people in the environment during lock-down had a positive effect on nature around the world and in Aruba. 

Human pressure is less and nature has responded positively.

Changes can be sensed in a clearer sky above our heads. The trees are greener. You can smell the fresh air when outside. The beaches are bluer than usual and even the beach sand we walk on feels different. 

The environment in Aruba will continue to restore itself with the help of new Government policies, including but not limited to the regulation of ATV & UTV vehicles on protected natural areas and the National Park Arikok.

Nature will continue to restore itself, waiting to be admired by you, Aruba’s loyal visitors.

Beaches are shining like diamonds…

5 – Aruba Misses You

The people of Aruba love its visitors as much as visitors love Aruba and the people.

Long-lasting friendships were made since the island opened its door to tourism for the first time.

Friends that have become family.

Simply said, we miss our visitors.

Not having our friends to share the one happy island with means we miss you and can’t wait for you to return.

I Love You As Much As Friends & Family, Can’t Wait To See You Back…

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This is a guest post written by a dear friend of mine, Charles Croes – a famous writer in Aruba. You’ve probably read his words and stories inside of many magazines that are published to visitors on the island. He’s sharing a story about the origins of Aruba – a few words to lift your spirits during the hard coronavirus times.

Charles Croes writes…

It is my hope that this short story is read quietly at home and that it brings you a semblance of inner peace.  It is my belief that these times are on us to measure us as a global people. I also feel that whatever the outcome, that it will be of our making. 

In an odd way, I see this plague as a messenger that tells us a story about who and what we are and does so on a daily, perhaps hourly or minute by minute basis. While I am respectful of the conditions of these times, I am in awe of us as a species. 

We will continue and will do so splendidly. Of this I am sure.

This short story is an observation, not of the subject matter but instead about what it is when we leave our established homes and go to places we call our home away from home. 

I wonder often what it is we look for. 

It certainly cannot be the same as what we leave behind. In talking to many visitors to our island, I often tell them, “You are not going back to reality. Aruba is reality. Where you are now returning to is unfortunate.” 

And by that, I mean the daily routine and not the place. Simply said, Aruba is splendidly different than home. Not better, just splendidly different.

The Start of a New Day in Aruba

A bird floats over the ocean as it views the piece of land he calls home. Effortlessly – he soars while scanning his domain – making sure that all is tranquil and, as it should be.

Out of the corner of one eye, he sees a small white house.

It is a point of reference for him as well as it is for many other living creatures in the area.

The ongoing shrieks from birds as they skitter back and forth along the washing shoreline becomes a normalcy that is there yet unheard.

It is a part of it all, a part of Aruba.

All the while that one single bird floats and looks down on the happenings of his island home.

It is a seaside sounds of birds running on the shoreline mixed with that of the ocean lapping against the white shoreline creating a delicious foam that disappears as quickly as it is created.

The ocean mist floats on the wind leaving a salty wetness on the stones surrounding the small white house – it is a normal thing.

All the while, the bird hovers in silent vigil.

The soft sounds of moving shore sand mixed with that of small rolling shells create nature’s symphony with a rhythm that follows the movements of the gentle surf.

It is a soft and gentle sound made by tiny shells in their struggle to get out of the water and onto the land. They lie there, clinging to the shore only to be swept again into the sea by the same waves that brought them. Their quest, on this new day, will be to form a part of the beach or to crumble and become a grain on the nearby dunes.

It is an eternal quest with an eternal soothing sound.

The bird flies overhead and observes all.  He has seen it before.  Then, slowly he blinks his eyes and turns his head to the ocean in search for a small swimming morsel.

In a bushy area nearby, a thin and dusty dog rests after a night on the prowl. His lean muscles are unable to hide the bony structure that supports them.

Not far away, a small gray owl nestles in the crags of the dried corral that he calls his home. The owl sits while his head spins like a bulb on a socket. It is difficult to know if he is surveying the areas around him or looking for a juicy meal.

In this desolate place, no one knows and no one cares.

The thin and dusty dog and the owl occasionally eye each other to establish their respective domains. All the while, the soaring bird observes.

The scene is remarkable.

The colors of the landscape are stark and their edges serve as boundaries for the changes from one piece of nature to the other.

A savage and deep blue ocean turns to an aquatic green as it comes closer to land.

Then the shallow water white sands start the color change to turquoise and finally to the brilliant white of natural sand.

Further in and in its own small space, is the small Cunucu house with its green windows recently painted.  All of this, when taken into consideration by our senses, know that only nature could create this beauty.

All the while – the bird floats overhead looking at this splendor.  He sees the dusty dog with half-opened eyes looking for the owl that has receded into his rocky crag for the moment.

In a small white room of the Cunucu house with its open windows – lies a man on a bed.

The salty sea breeze gently blows across his brown face.  To him, the smell of ocean is sweet.  His shocking white hair is thick with small tufts that move with the wind acting like human weather vanes. One at a time, his eyes open then close again.

This stocky man started his with the simple movement of his arm.  Lifting it he let it fall on the pillows next to him and thought to himself, “one hour”.

The heat (or lack of it let him know how long ago she awoke and left his side to make him the black coffee which was his morning ritual.

Her aroma lingered but not the heat of her face.

Turning on his side, he looked out the window and saw a bird soaring high above.

The bird saw him.

All that was him walked into the room and handed him the small cup of coffee.

He brought it to his lips and allowed the brown liquid to linger there.

She leaned over and whispered softly, “Get my love, it’s the Day.”

He grunted and repeated “The day”

And so, new beginnings arrive all over our world. At different times and in different places.

All we have to do is live them.

In a small white house with green shutters, a couple did just that.

All the while – an owl bobbed his head as he looked at the dusty sleeping dog.

The birds soared overhead and smiled a bird-smile knowing that in her world, all is well.

And so started The Day.