By Alexander Britell
Caribbean tourism is on the upswing, but no destination has had a better two years in a row than the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
The island has had consistently strong growth in both 2014 and 2015, peaking a 14.3 percent increase last year.
In 2015, Aruba reported a total of 1.22 million stayover visitors, up from 1.07 million in 2014.
That was helped by a 7.7 percent increase from the US market and a strong increase from markets like the United Kingdom, Venezuela, Argentina and Germany.
“2015 was a monumental year for Aruba, not only in tourism performance but also in innovation and creativity,” said Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes, CEO of the Aruba Tourism Authority.
The island’s hotel sector also showed growth, with an 8.3 percent increase in total visitor hotel nights and a 2.7 percent increase in ADR to $237.39.
“Aruba’s record-breaking tourism performance, coupled with the dozens of awards received this year for our island’s innovation, proves the creative marketing and dedication of the government, ATA, industry partners and locals are successful in making Aruba one of the most desirable travel destinations in the world,” said Otmar Oduber, Aruba’s Minister of Tourism, Transportation, Primary Sector and Culture.
Aruba’s strong 2015 came after a stellar 2014 that saw a 9.5 percent increase over the previous year, led by a booming South American market.