Dear friends of Aruba,
As Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Labor, I take this opportunity to welcome you to our new www.aruba.com website with a sincere Bon Bini (welcome)!
Our reputation as a consistent warm and dry weather destination and the spectacular view of our beautiful beaches is what will probably attract you to come to Aruba for the first time.
As the new minister of tourism, my goal is to make sure that the Aruba experience will make you want to return, just like over 50% of our visitors do. I have two priorities as the minister of tourism: one is to make sure that our accommodations, restaurants, activities and all physical infrastructure is of top quality. My other priority is to ensure that during your stay, you will have the opportunity to experience excellent service, meet hospitable people and discover the soul of the island through our cultural activities, our cuisine, our friendship and our lifestyle.
This year, the first phase of the 10 mile long Linear Park along the southern coast of the island, the largest in the Caribbean, will start off. This park will provide opportunities for biking and jogging with a view to the ocean, enhancing the experience of island living/visiting. We’ve already started with a rejuvenation project of Oranjestad, our capital city, and will continue to invest in projects that will enhance the quality of life of our own people, and our visitors alike.
I am committed to make our island greener through small and larger projects. Seven hotels are now Green Globe certified, we’re finalizing the Blue Flag certification of 3 of our beaches, and we will continue to preserve The Arikok National Park which comprises 17% of our island.
Although Aruba is well known for its hospitality and happy people, I will introduce several programs to ensure that we remain a top destination for service and hospitality.
I hope you will choose Aruba as your vacation destination. Our state-of-the-art, easily navigated destination website provides not only abundant practical information but also the tools to plan your visit from beginning to end. Have fun.
Warm regards,
Otmar E. Oduber
Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Labor
Click HERE to read the Minister's Newsletter in PDF format.
Click HERE to read the interactive version online.
Aruba is a safe, stable and friendly Caribbean island with Dutch roots. A former colony of the Netherlands, it later formed a part of the Netherland Antilles before gaining its autonomy in 1986; under status aparte, Aruba functions as an independent entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba's government is founded on democratic principles.
Historically, Aruba was part of the Netherlands Antilles, a six-island federation which also included Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. This island grouping, in turn, formed the Caribbean component of the Dutch Kingdom, a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of the Netherlands having the dual role of head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as well as of the country of the Netherlands.
At a Round Table Conference (March 1983), all partners in the Kingdom (the Netherlands, the Central Government of the Netherlands Antilles, and the governments of the individual islands) agreed to grant Aruba a separate status within the Kingdom. On January 1, 1986 Aruba became a separate entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, an event of historic proportions. This does not represent full independence for the island, a step that may be taken only in the very distant future. Today the Kingdom consists of three partners: Holland, Aruba, and the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles.
As a result of this agreement, Aruban affairs, formerly under the jurisdiction of the Central Government of the Netherlands Antilles, (aviation, customs, immigration, communications, and other internal and external matters) are now handled autonomously by Aruba. The Kingdom retains responsibility for defense and foreign affairs. Aruba has its own constitution based on Western democratic principles and manages its own aviation, customs, immigration, and communications. Briefly stated, this political status is a form of commonwealth with Holland and sister islands, with which Aruba retains strong economic, cultural and political ties.
The Governor is appointed by the Queen of the Kingdom for a term of six years and acts as the sovereign's representative on the island. The Legislature consists of a 21-member parliament, elected by popular vote for a four-year term of office. The Council of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister, forms the executive power. Legal jurisdiction lies with a Common Court of Justice of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles and ultimately with a Supreme Court of Justice in the Netherlands.