Tiara Air Short 360 took off Friday morning on its way to Flamingo International Airport on the island of Bonaire, a 45 minute flight, with Tiara management, dignitaries and press members on board.

Members of Reina Beatrix Airport in Aruba gathered in the Vip room to bid passengers goodbye and wish Tiara Air success on its new venture.

The aircraft was welcomed on the island of Bonaire Lt. Governor Herbert Domacasse. Also by Minister Elvis Chin and deputy Anthony Nicolaas. Aruba born Ronella Croes who serves as the Bonaire tourism corporation director helped meet and greet the aircraft with 33 visitors on board. Tiara Air's managing director Alejandro Muyale cut a yellow and blue ribbon and declared the Aruba-Bonaire-Aruba open.

Tiara Air offers six weekly on time flights with inflight snack and refreshments. The one year old company with Aruba roots in determined to serve both the tourist and the local business and leisure markets.

Arubiana Inn, a relaxing mini resort for travelers who want to get away, is just minutes away from the gorgeous Eagle Beach.

Arubiana Inn offers comfortable, fully refurbished accommodations clustered around a tropical pool nicely landscaped with palm trees, offering comfortable deck chairs and plenty of shade.

Arubiana Inn is an oasis of peace and tranquility away from the high-rise hotel hubbub, yet within reach of all the Aruba has to offer.

Dutch host, Gaston Verlaan, is as fluent in English as he is in Dutch, has put heart and soul into the design and furnishings of the 18 studios.

He personally oversees breakfast every morning, sharing the first coffee with his guests, for an extra personal touch.

www.arubianainn.com

Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) welcomed JetBlue’s nonstop Boston service last Saturday June 30, 2007 and marked this important occasion with a water cannon salute. Service is carried out by an Airbus 320 aircraft with 150 seats in a one class configuration. JetBlue will operate one nonstop flight to Boston on Saturdays, to Aruba. Beginning November 5, flights to Aruba will expand to operate three-times weekly – on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. AAA is delighted to see the rapid expansion of JetBlue’s air service to Aruba since its successful launch on September 15, 2006 with twice daily service to New York’s JFK Airport.

The North East US market remains the most important market for Aruba out of the United States. Our valued repeat clients, of whom a great number have become timeshare and home owners on island, have embraced this new service.

“JetBlue is one of our esteemed airline partners, flexible, understands our needs and a great team player” Peter Steinmetz, Managing Director Aruba Airport Authority N.V. said. He also pointed out that “JetBlue has brought the right diversification to our air service mix and has increased demand to the destination”.

“Our customers continue to give us a reason to add more routes and more service to and from the beautiful island of Aruba,” said JetBlue Airways President and CEO Dave Barger. “Earlier this year, we increased service between the island and New York’s JFK to two daily flights. Today, we are delighted to offer new nonstop service to Boston and our inaugural flights are sold out. The support we continue to receive from Arubans is confirmation that our customers find us the most comfortable, entertaining and affordable way to travel.”

Robin Gibb and Richard Marx Headline Sixth Annual Musical Celebration October 5 - 6, 2007

Time to tune up those guitar strings again! Aruba is getting ready to host the Sixth Annual Aruba Music Festival, featuring Grammy Award-winning pop-rock legend Richard Marx (October 5) and music icon Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees (October 6). During this two-day festival, beach and music lovers will enjoy true paradise, with days of sun and surf and nights filled with music and dancing. Visitors will not only live it up as they rock out to Richard Marx and groove to unforgettable tunes by Robin Gibb, but can savor the island’s near-perfect weather, revel in land and water activities galore, and get to know the friendliest people in the Caribbean. With the ideal tropical backdrop, Columbus Day weekend in Aruba will be unforgettable with two incredible performances at the Aruba Entertainment Center, turning the island into a music lover’s dream.

Richard Marx’s 1987 self-titled debut album yielded four hit singles and sold nearly four million copies in the United States. Marx became the first solo artist to reach the Top 5 with his first seven singles, including the platinum-selling “Right Here Waiting,” “Satisfied,” and “Angelina.” In 1988, Marx was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance Male for “Don’t Mean Nothing.” From 1987 through 1994, Marx released four consecutive platinum albums which included the Top 10 hits “Keep Coming Back,” “Hazard,” and “Chains Around My Heart.” In 2004, Marx returned to the Billboard charts with his album My Own Best Enemy, which featured the hits “When You’re Gone” and “Ready to Fly.” In 2007, Marx released a new ballad titled “Your Goodbye” and a remixed version of his classic love song “Hold On To The Nights” on a Phil Ramone compilation production called New Music From An Old Friend.

The multiple Grammy Award-winning Bee Gees are one of the most successful groups of all time with world-wide record sales in excess of 250 million. Robin Gibb has been a member of the legendary trio for over three decades. Most famously, the Bee Gees played a major role in the creation of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977, which is the best selling soundtrack album of all time spawning three number one singles including “How Deep Is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive.” As the Bee Gees continued their phenomenal success, Robin Gibb promoted his solo career. His 1984 single, “Boys Do Fall in Love,” reached the Billboard Top 40. During the 1980s, he released three further solo albums which enjoyed success in Europe and the U.S. In October 2003, a version of “My Lover’s Prayer” was recorded as a duet with Alistair Griffin, runner-up in the U.K. television program Fame Academy, on which Robin had appeared as a judge. It reached number five on the U.K. charts.

“Each year the Aruba Music Festival is something that both our local community and valued travelers look forward to, and we anticipate that our sixth annual event will be another success,” said Minister of Tourism and Transportation, Edison Briesen. “We are pleased to welcome renowned musicians Robin Gibb and Richard Marx, who are sure to make this year’s festival truly memorable.”

Tickets for the 2007 Aruba Music Festival are $110 for Gold Circle seating (limited availability), $66 for preferred seating, or $44 for general admission. To purchase tickets or to learn more about the Aruba Music Festival, please visit www.aruba.com or call 1-800-390-4936. The Aruba Music Festival is produced by Lee Tofanelli and Associates, Inc. of Vineland, New Jersey.

Air-inclusive hotel packages, inclusive of concert admission for the 2007 Aruba Music Festival, are available for purchase through several tour operators or via a travel professional. Primary host hotels for the Sixth Annual Aruba Music Festival are the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino, the Marriott Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino, and the Westin Aruba Resort. American Airlines and KLM are the official airlines of the 2007 Aruba Music Festival.

Casa del Mar expanded its food repertory this weekend with the grand opening of Matthew's, Beachside Restaurant, a fun eatery by the people who gave us Rumba downtown, Stef & Milca Legger.

The two entrepreneurs decided it was too early to retire and that they would love to embrace the challenge of creating and serving Beach Cuisine at Casa del Mar, under the oversize palapa.

Stef who also enjoys decorating recruited his Dutch-born dad, Jack, for the technical work. Then he collaborated with chef Bas de Boer on the creative Caribbean/Continental menu.

The results of everyone's great effort were inaugurated on Friday with over 200 people attending the mega party. While Randy Dawson and Equator Band entertained, the staff of Matthew's served tastings of the restaurants cuisine and poured many complimentary libations.

Guests who attended the party included press members, members of the resort management, food and liquor purveyors, taxi drivers, concierges, friends and family members. Restaurant managers Ricardo Chirino and Anky Pasch did a good job pampering the crowd and showing them a great time.

Finally, Matthew's restaurant named after the Legger's ten year old son, is beautifully decorated with yards of flimsy curtain-fabric which billows gracefully in the wind, rustic potted plants and dramatic fire torches, all nicely arranged around tasteful wood furniture.

The retired big chandeliers of the Hyatt Regency's lobby, found a new home at Matthew's and add an elegant aspect to the pyramid-shaped roof.

Matthew's attractive menu has many Caribbean accents interpreted with Continental flair.

As appetizers you will find an inviting Caprese Salad with fresh Mozzarella and Pesto, a Roasted Duck Salad with apples, grapes and walnuts, Carpaccio made of sesame crusted yellow fin tuna, and flash seared Goat Cheese wrapped in Italian Prosciutto ham, over field-greens. Veal Sweetbreads and Calamari Rings wrap up the appetizer section.

As main course the Argentinean White Salmon makes a debut on the island. It is joined by Caribbean Shrimp, irresistible Pina Colada Shrimp and a totally Caribbean Seafood Combination.

Filet Mignon, Duck Breast and assorted tasty Grilled Kebabs will please meat eaters, all escorted with creative greens and starches.

Watch out for the restaurant's bread basket courtesy of Huchada bakery, created especially for Matthew's; it is very delicious!

An equally creative lunch menu focuses on sandwiches and salads, with piled high ciabatta, focaccia and pumpkin seed breads, as well as panninis and southwestern squares, fresh jaw-breakers guaranteed to satisfy vacationers and locals…

Water, the essence of life, and a dwindling resource that has now produced what is termed a “World Water Crises” is the subject of a two-day conference now taking place at the Renaissance Convention Center. Water-en Energiebedrijf Aruba, N.V. (W.E.B.) Aruba’s water and power provider, and its Director, Jossy Laclé are the official hosts for the event, which also marks its diamond jubilee anniversary. Mr. Laclé welcomed the delegates on behalf of Aruba during the opening ceremonies last night, giving a brief history of Aruba’s water plants in 1932, and the establishment of W.E.B. N.V., including its evolution from a government agency to privatization in 1992.

A festive evening opened what will be two days of intensive lectures by experts in the field of seawater desalination, which will likely be the primary source of water for future generations. The Governor of Aruba, Mr. Fredis Refunjol, and the Minister of Labor, Culture and Sport, Ramon Lee, were present on behalf of Aruba and the government, with Minister Lee making a brief welcome speech.

Governor Refunjol joined Mr. Laclé in officially opening the conference by sharing a “Balashi Cocktail. (fresh water from the Balashi plants, second photo at left.)

Keynote Speaker for the evening was Mr. Emilio Gabrieli, seen in photo at left with his wife, Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership, (GWP) an organization founded by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Sweden in 1996. He gave a fascinating and startling presentation of the history of the development of wide scale desalination since the late fifties with the development of the Multi Flash Evaporator by Dr. R.S. Silver of the Weir Group of Glasgow, Scotland in 1957.

Many of the technical experts present expressed there were a number of revelations in Mr. Gabrieli’s presentation of the desperate situation that the world faces in regards to potable water, and the inevitability of desalination as a solution. In the past twenty years, the world population has doubled, but its water use has increased by six to what it was two decades ago. The implications of these figures are sobering, particularly as fresh water is only 2.5% of all water on the planet, and of that, two-thirds is encased in ice caps and glaciers. Of the remaining freshwater sources, only 20% is actually available for human use, which is a scant 1/1000th of the freshwater on Earth. Humankind has further complicated matters by taking these sources for granted and freely polluting them with technological and human wastes. Thus, the preservation of resources, and development of technology for water recycling, sewage treatment and desalination became recognized globally as an imperative, and the GWP was founded.

The GWP marked its ten-year anniversary in 2006, and its mission has remained the same since its inception, “To support countries in the sustainable management of their water resources.” During various annual World Summits on Sustainable Development, (WSSD) which began in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the “Water Crises” has grown to take a top place on the agenda. More governments and agencies recognized the dwindling of natural sources, and GWP membership has grown to include sixty countries in fourteen regional partnerships. During the Johannesburg WSSD in 2002, 193 governments agreed upon a “Plan of Implementation” regarding water management. Mr. Gabrieli’s enlightening presentation can be viewed and downloaded in Adobe PDF format at: http://www.modares.ac.ir/ ds2006/presentations/Emilio.pdf.

Mr. Gabrieli closed his address by expressing his surprise and admiration for Aruba and W.E.B. N.V. for being pioneers regarding water desalination, which is only reaching true globalization after fifty years. Aruba’s engineers and government have been at the forefront in developing viable and efficient methods of water production and management, which, according to a number of the experts present, produced a marked difference in the development and prosperity of the island over other Caribbean nations. The small island of Aruba is home to the third largest desalination plant in the world, and continues to modify and move forward, quickly adapting the latest technology to produce an affordable product. Mr. Gabrieli pointed out that water is a commodity, and visionary governments are recognizing and looking forward towards its production and management. Unlike the energy obtained from the dwindling resources of fossil fuels, technology cannot develop alternative sources of water, which is essential for life, only ways to produce it economically so that it is affordable for all people.

The official opening ceremonies ended with Mr. Lacle presenting gifts to Governor Refunjol, Minister Lee and Mr. Gabrielli, followed by a tour of the exposition. The gathering retired to the Fiesta Gardens of the Renaissance to enjoy a show of typical Aruban music and dance with local performers The Superdancers and Masiduri Dance Troupes, Nico Conner on the steel pan, and Hilly-Ann Croes, vocalist.

The various informative exhibitions at the Renaissance Convention Center are open to the public through Friday June 22, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and delegates will receive a tour of the Balashi plant on Saturday morning.

On June 23 and 24th, the Dos Playa Open 2007 takes place.

Organizers of this weekend’s big event Arusurf announced that the athletes are ready to compete. A lot of action is expected at the competitions. Athletes are training very hard, due to the fact that the Dos Playa Open will determine the selection whom will travel to the Panamerican Surf competition in Chile.

Dos Playa, located in Arikok National Park is one of the island’s most beautiful beaches. This stretch of nature offers the perfect waves for bodyboarding and surfing and is the favorite spot for those who practice the sport.

The Dos Playa Open is part of the Beach Tour Aruba 2007. and is the second competition It is also Arusurf’s second competion organized this year and the third in total.

The competitions are judged by the International Surfing Association’s (ISA) rules and use an official ranking system.

This time there will be no need to bring in an international head judge, because now Aruba has eight local judges and one Head judge. The technical aspects of the sport are moving forward with giant steps due to the fact that the local association has been following ISA guidelines.

In the Dos Playa competition the following categories will be disputed by participants: Surf Open Men, Surf Open Women, Bodyboard Open Men, Bodyboard Open Women, Bodyboard Junior, Dropknee, Longboard, and Surf Jr.

Athletes from Venezuela and Curaçao have already signed up to partake in the competition.

Attendees can expect a great surfing and bodyboarding show by the athletes during the Dos Playa Open accompanied by live music from The Islanders band and Roots Rebels.

Environmentalist and Hotelier Ewald Biemans was introduced as the example to Hoteliers throughout the Caribbean for his extensive and successful sustainable tourism business model for his hotels, the Bucuti Beach Resort and Tara Beach Suites.

Biemans was invited to present and be a panelist at Tuesday, June 19, seminar organized by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) titled: “Environmental Management Systems.”

Moderator Deirdre P. Shurland, Director of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) introduced Biemans as “a pioneer and a success story for environmental preservation in the industry” and his resort “a glowing example for all Caribbean Hoteliers.” Biemans presented his case study of Bucuti Beach Resort’s achievements in sustainability and Green Globe 21 and ISO 14001 certifications.

Earlier in the day, Biemans was also a panelist during a press conference whereby CAST released a CHA-CTO Joint position paper on “Global Climate Change and the Caribbean Tourism Industry.”

Biemans presented his viewpoint as a hotelier / environmental activist.

Biemans’ presentation and words of wisdom and authority on the important subject of the environment reflected positively on Aruba.

Photos of the press conference include (from left to right) Ewald Biemans, owner of the Bucuti Beach Resort and Tara Beach Suites, Bill Meade of PA Consulting, Jamaica, Bill Bissell of OBM International, Ltd, Sir Royston Hopkin of Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada and Deirdre Shurland of CAST