More airlift, more seats to Aruba in summer 2008.Additional air service for summer 2008 has been announced. Delta Airlines is adding additional service from Atlanta with an overnight flight on Fridays and Saturdays June 14, 2008 through August 17, 2008. This brings Delta’s schedule up to 9 weekly flights from Atlanta and 2 weekly flights from New York’s JFK this summer. More importantly, the overnight flight provides for improved connections to destinations beyond Atlanta.

Spirit Airlines is furthermore increasing service to twice weekly during the period of May 1, 2008 through September 1, 2008 from Fort Lauderdale to Aruba on Wednesdays.

The demand for Aruba is increasing from Europe as well and Arkefly will add service to Aruba from Amsterdam on Wednesdays as of June 25, 2008, thus three weekly flights.

The Aruba Airport Authority is anticipating several charter frequency requests during the period of July and August, the typical summer holiday travel in view of the strong growth from Latin America in 2007.

Pullmantur Cruises will be using a bigger ship for their turn around as of March 2008, due to an increase in demand. The ship is the former Empress of the Seas from the Royal Caribbean and it will be named ‘Empress’. The ship will arrive to Aruba on March 21st and will do its first sailing on March 22nd. The ship holds a maximum capacity of 1400 passengers. Turn Around will remain in Aruba and in Isla Margarita. Pullmantur will be doing their embarking and disembarking in Aruba until May and will return in November again for their weekly turn around. For more information please call (297) 583-3648 or visit www.arubabycruise.com.

On October 2, 2007, the Minister of Tourism & Transportation Edison Briesen and the Director of the Aruba Ports Authority inaugurated the new information & shopping building at the cruise terminal. This represents a three (3) million guilder investment. The renovation was completed just in time to welcome the new cruise ship season which runs from October to April.

2006 Brings in Over 38,000 More Cruise Travelers & 2007 Boasts Construction of Brand-New Cruise Terminal, New Ships Calling Port on the Island &More

Aruba’s a hit on the high seas in 2006, as the island exceeded expectations and welcomed an impressive 314 cruise ships with a total of 591,474 ocean-loving mateys. The notable seven percent increase of cruise calls over 2005 represents a noteworthy 38,655 additional visitors. The top cruise line, Royal Caribbean, brought a total of 201,433 beach-bound passengers to Aruba. Carnival Cruise Line’s 1321-room Destiny was the island’s top producing cruise ship, bringing 155,808 sun-seekers to the Caribbean oasis. In 2007, Aruba is poised to see even more growth in its cruise industry as major renovations are already underway at one of the three cruise terminals and the island is expecting nearly ten new cruise ships to call port this year.

Aruba’s cruise business has experienced a major boom over the past decade. Year-to-date numbers comparing 1996 to 2006 indicate that the island has seen a 15% increase of port calls and an astonishing 86.7% spike in the number of cruise visitors. Aruba’s annual cruise high season runs from October to December and last year the island recorded an increase of nearly 12,500 passengers over 2005, representing a six percent growth. Combined, these three months saw 127 port calls and over 206,179 visitors, with December being the strongest month bringing in 51 ships and 34,882 travelers to the island.

“The cruise industry is an extremely important one for Aruba and we are happy to see demand for the island as a cruise call continuing to rise significantly,” said Minister of Tourism and Transportation, Edison Briesen. “The notable developments at our port and ship facilities in 2007 is indicative of our dedication to the cruise business and its passengers.”

2007 is already looking to be a strong year for the cruise industry in Aruba, as eight new ships are expected to visit the port of Oranjestad, including Carnival Cruises Line’s Elation, Princess Cruise Line’s Island Princess and Emerald Princess. Additionally, throughout 2007 Aruba will continue to pour millions of dollars into major renovations to the island’s tourism product which includes construction of a new state-of-the-art cruise terminal, cargo and loading docks being moved from Oranjestad to Barcadera and much more.

“We are extremely pleased with the success that the destination and its ports are experiencing,” said Managing Director for the Aruba Tourism Authority, Myrna Jansen. “We anticipate the new cruise terminal, coupled with the major investments being poured into our tourism product as a whole, will continue to let us have the competitive edge in the Caribbean region allowing us to maintain the highest repeat visitor rate in the Caribbean at 40%.”

AIDA Cruises 2007/2008 winter season which sees the brand adding some new itineraries includes two fortnight sailings combining destinations in Central America and the Caribbean. These cruises, performed by AIDAaura and AIDAvita, will use Aruba as turnaround port. For more information please visit www.aida.de

Aruba Ports Authority started the construction of a completely new terminal building. The old ports terminal building, about 50 years old, has been demolished making way for a new state of the art building with new, more interesting shopping & information facilities. The first phase of this project is estimated to be completed in February 2007 and will cost roughly AWG 3 m florins.

As the new cruise season started on October 5th 2006 with the docking of the Infinity, Celebrity Cruises / RCCL, De Palm Tours prepared to give this ship a warm welcome as the first call of the 2006-2007 season.

The cruise season, reports Geraldine Keyter-Bisslik, Shore Excursions & Cruise Services Supervisor, De Palm Tours Aruba runs from October '06 to Sept. '07.

To celebrate the occasion Paul Connor, who was the first Calypso King of Aruba's Carnival 55 years ago and the person who introduced steel band music and Calypso

competitions to the island, played at the arrival hall as passengers came off the ship for their morning tours. Two Carnival dancers in luxurious costumes with extravagant body pieces also posed for welcome photos.

The event was organized by De Palm Tours and was sponsored by: De Palm Tours, Aruba Ports Authority and Maduro & Sons.

In the pictures Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines Infinity arriving in the port of Oranjestad on its last call of a two-week itinerary departing from San Francisco with 2000 passengers on board. The ship was greeted by various local & Dutch port executives among them Humphrey Tromp, Alfonso Boek, V/D Hart, Ricky Lacle, Johnny Serauss, and Giovanni Rajunath, Port Operations Manager at Maduro & Sons.

The port management reports Aruba will be enjoying over 300 calls for the upcoming season and is expecting the Pullmanturs, Blue Moon inauguration call at the end of October.

Aruba to become home port for Pullmantur Cruise Enterprises, Spain’s leading cruise operators for one year starting November 4, 2006. The cruise ship “Blue Moon” of 181 meters long with a capacity of 800 passengers will use Aruba as home port while the passengers will be flown in directly from Spain on a 747 plane. The itinerary includes Aruba as home port, leaves Saturday night to Curacao, Monday at the Margarita Island, where it’s the 2nd half of the turnaround, Tuesday at Tobago, Wednesday at Barbados, Friday at sea, returning to Aruba on Saturday morning. For more information please visit http://www.arubaports.com

Aruba’s a Hit on the High Seas As Hundreds of Thousands Cruise Passengers Visit Island in First Months of 2005!

Aruba continues winning popularity contests on the open seas in 2005 as the Caribbean destination’s cruise business skyrockets! Aruba, where happiness lives, boasts booming cruise numbers in the first four months of 2005, as over 14,000 lucky sea-goers touch land on the tropical oasis compared to 2004. From January through April 2005, the island oasis is proud to announce that it played host to 143 cruise calls over 131 in 2004, a spike of 9.61%. A whopping 256,589 cruise traveler also made landfall on Aruba, surpassing 242,101 in 2004, representing a notable 5.98% increase.

Aruba is a bona-fide hit on the high seas in 2005! The Caribbean powerhouse’s extraordinary hotels/resorts, roster of unique land and sea activities, spectacular spas, extraordinary international cuisine, exciting cultural, sporting and musical events and more, offers so much to its honored cruise guests. Aruba’s near-perfect weather and award-winning friendly people are also noteworthy contributors to the island’s robust cruise tourism business. It is no wonder that Aruba’s repeat visitor rate is a sustained 40%, the highest of any Caribbean destinations.

Typically, Aruba’s annual high cruise season runs from October to December and low cruising season runs from May through September. Aruba’s April 2005 cruise numbers were exceptionally strong, with 65,930 people calling port on island, over 56,940 in 2004, representing a 15.8% increase (nearly 8990 more passengers). While cruise calls in April 2005 toped off at 35, a remarkable rise of nearly 12% over 2004 numbers.

“2005 is shaping up to be another exceptional year for cruise tourism in Aruba,” said Managing Director for the Aruba Tourism Authority, Myrna Jansen. “For the past several years, the island has been able to maintain an average of 500,000 cruise passengers annually and with the strong figures we’ve seen in the first few months of 2005 alone, we expect this year will exceed previous numbers reinforcing Aruba as one of the Caribbean’s premier cruise destinations.”

Nearly 25,000 More Cruise Passengers Touch Land in 2004 Making the Caribbean Port of Call, A Bona Fide Hit!

Aruba, where happiness lives, is a hit on the high seas in 2004 with booming cruise tourism numbers. The Caribbean oasis is proud to announce that its 2004 cruise ship season exceeded expectations with a whopping 318 cruise ships calling port in Aruba, carrying a near-record 567,320 passengers! The increase in cruise calls in 2004 over 2003 represented a remarkable growth of nearly 25,000 visitors (an increase of 5%) trading in their sea legs to touch land on Aruba’s white-sand shores. From smaller ships like the 122-passenger Clipper Adventure, to the awe-inspiring 2600-passenger mega ship, the Golden Princess, Aruba played host to an impressive and eclectic number of sea faring vessels in 2004.

Aruba’s flawless beaches, gourmet dining, near-perfect weather, exciting activities and more, attracted many of the world’s finest cruise lines and aided the island’s noteworthy 2004 cruise tourism numbers. Many of Carnival Corporations’ fleet of beautiful ships lowered their anchors in Aruba in 2004, including ships from the Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Costa and P & O cruise lines. Aruba welcomed Carnival Cruse Lines’ ship, the Carnival Destiny, 52 times in 2004, and the ship’s weekly visits brought in over 150,000 cruise guests, making it the top producing ship for the island. The Carnival family of ships brought in an astonishing 300,000 visitors to the Caribbean paradise, while Royal Caribbean International and the Star Group brought in a notable 200,000 and 100,00 sea-goers, respectively.

Typically, Aruba’s annual high cruise season runs from October to December and low cruising season runs from May through September. Aruba’s December 2004 cruise numbers were exceptionally strong, boasting a 31% increase in cruise calls as the tropical oasis welcomed 51 ships, compared to 39 in 2003. There were also some firsts in 2004 as 10 vessels, new to Aruba, docked on the island including the Princess Danae, the Astor, the Delphin Renaissance, the Clipper Adventure, Asuka, the Insignia, the Regatta, the Berlin the Deutschland and the Sunbird.

“2004 was another stellar year for cruise tourism in Aruba,” said Managing Director for the Aruba Tourism Authority, Myrna Jansen. “We are very proud that the island has been able to maintain an average of 500,000 cruise passengers annually and we anticipate that 2005 will be even more successful. All of the island’s tourism partners remain dedicated to making Aruba the Caribbean’s premier cruise destination.”

Peak Season: Nearly 250 Cruise Ships Carrying A Monthly Average of 60,000 Travelers Make Port of Call Where Happiness Lives

Aruba is a bona fide hit on the high seas during its 2003/2004 peak cruise ship season as 243 cruise ships carrying a monthly average of 60,000 passengers trade in their sea legs to touch land on the Caribbean oasis. According to the managing director of the Aruba Ports Authority, M.H. Henriquez, Aruba’s seven month long peak cruise season, which runs from October 2003 through April 2004, will prove to be very strong with approximately 412,000 travelers making port in the tropical paradise. From average size ocean liners to the awing mega ships, Aruba, where happiness lives, plays home to a host of impressive sea faring vessels.

In 2003, during Aruba’s annual highest cruise season, October to December, 110 cruise ships visited the Dutch Caribbean island. The month of October saw 35 ships, 26 being mega ships, call port on the island. In November Aruba hosted 33 ships including 29 mega ships. Proving to be the grand finale, December, the strongest month, welcomed 42 cruise ships, all of which were mega ships! Overall, Aruba has played home to near-record 545,910 cruise passengers in 2003. A whopping 561,000 sea-goers are expected in 2004, making Aruba the Caribbean’s premier cruise destination.

The island’s low cruising season runs from May through September. The typically slower months this year will see a first-ever, as Princess Cruises mega ship, the Golden Princess will call Aruba home every 14 days joining other cruise liners including Carnival Cruise Line’s Destiny and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Adventure of the Seas.

“We are delighted that Aruba has been able to maintain an average of 500,000 cruise passengers annually,” said Minister of Tourism and Transportation Edison Briesen. “The fact that cruise ships and their passengers continue to call on our beautiful and unique island in such strong and increasingly growing numbers reinforces the fact that Aruba is a destination that offers a bevy of activities and options for diverse cruise travelers.”