“Great people, great sun, great fun!” This is how many guests describe the island where happiness lives, as the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) proudly announces the addition of video testimonials on www.aruba.com. The addition of the testimonials to the destination’s Web site was to illustrate the consistently positive reaction to Aruba firsthand from travelers vacationing on island. Aruba’s video testimonials run the gamut, showcasing the island’s diverse visitors from traveling couples of all ages, to jet setting families and globetrotting girlfriends.

Aruba’s video testimonials were filmed in January 2006 and the visitors who participated were selected at random during their vacations. When approached, ATA explained that they were requesting guest feedback for use on the destination’s Web site. Currently, there are 22 testimonials available online. The campaign, launched in March, is already a success as early results showed click-through rates three times higher then earlier in the year.

Below are excerpts from some of the Aruba.com testimonials:

- “So we came the first year and we we’re hooked and every time we keep coming for longer and longer and longer. Actually, we’re hoping to retire here.”

- “This is a place we feel comfortable to have our family. And then we’ve decided to bring our extended families. It really is a family island.”

- “I think this is, for the tourist who comes here, the best value for their dollar and it is the best all around Caribbean experience.”

- “The people here are so friendly. And they welcome you no matter where you’re from or what you do. They’re wonderful.”

“We wanted to offer potential visitors a unique way to learn about Aruba and we knew the most effective way to do that was to offer the option of hearing other travelers impressions firsthand,” said managing director for the Aruba Tourism Authority, Myrna Jansen. “What better way to get a feel for a destination than by hearing what other guests experienced while visiting? We knew that in asking our visitors what they thought of their time on island, we would not only get valuable feedback about what is working and what may not be, but also that these testimonials would offer prospective travelers an unbiased feel for what an Aruba vacation is really like.”