Aruba Redesigned

ARUBA Tourism Authority happily invites visitors to explore its all-new Aruba.com. The new and improved Aruba.com is the island's official destination for travelers planning their next #Caribbean vacation.

Created in eight languages to provide visitors from all over the world with a warm and welcoming #Aruba experience, the new site has been completely redesigned to make exploring, planning and booking a vacation to Aruba even easier.

Immersive video and imagery bring travelers face to face with the Aruba locals and repeat visitors, while a fresh, intuitive design and navigation inspires them to explore all the adventurous, romantic and relaxing things the happy island is known for.

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Visitors volunteer to help Aruba charities

AS MORE British travellers discover the Dutch Caribbean island of #Aruba, they are also being lured by a growing phenomenon on the island – voluntourism. 

The island has a high repeat visit factor, particularly among American travellers who make the island a regular winter haunt. Community service abounds on Aruba, with locals volunteering their time, energy, and skills to help many charities. Growing numbers of visitors are now also joining in, spending some of their holiday time helping worthwhile causes.

For those who want to take a break from the sun lounger, here are some of the opportunities to put something back into the life of Aruba.

The Aruba Reef Care Project is the best-known and largest volunteer environmental initiative on the island. Launched in 1994, it attracts more than 1,000 participants who every September scour the beaches and dive and snorkel various sites in a massive clean-up effort. Supported by public and private sector businesses, the Reef Care Project raises awareness of the importance of preserving the marine environment. For information, contact Castro Perez by e-mail: castroperez@gmail.com

Fundashon Turtugaruba was established in 2003 and is a member of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. Turtugaruba volunteers know where to patrol to spot, monitor, and protect turtle nests, primarily at Eagle Beach, Boca Grandi, and Arikok National Park. Volunteers comb the beach during the season looking for nesting turtles so the area can be cordoned off and protected.  E-mail enquiries to info@turtgaruba.org

Sponsor a Mile is a monthly initiative held during the third and fourth weeks of every month.  Spearheaded by the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association (AHATA), its members, including island hotels and activity companies, adopt a designated mile of beach, roadsides, and countryside to scour for debris. Staff volunteer their time to keep their island clean, and are often joined by eco-minded tourists.

Visitors can contact their hotel directly for information and dates, or contact Vanessa Rasmussen at AHATA by e-mail: at Vanessa@ahata.com

Donations and the work of volunteers are vital to the Aruba Animal Shelter, which aims to improve the lives of dogs and cats. Go to www.arubaanimalshelter.com for more information.

The Aruba Donkey Sanctuary is supported entirely by donations and volunteer workers. Donkeys were first brought to Aruba by the Spanish 500 years ago, and there are still some 200 on the island today. Volunteers are welcome to help with the daily chores of feeding and cleaning or assisting with general maintenance and repairs. http://main.arubadonkey.org/portal/index.php/volunteers

FAVI offers a variety of services with the purpose of contributing to the wellbeing of the visually impaired and blind. It welcomes volunteers to help with craft classes and the outings.  Contact Cetty Baarah on +297-582-5222 for more information.

www.aruba.com

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Picture Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/51065161@N00/13069956024">Aruba</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)

Take a dip on Aruba

#ARUBA is making a splash with its natural pool voted among the world's best. 

In a global TripAdvisor poll, the island’s conchi – the local word in the Dutch Caribbean island for its shell-shaped natural pool – was voted one of the 12 best locations in the world for #naturalswimming.

The pool is at the base of shore cliffs within the #ArikokNationalPark. Visitors reach it by crossing rocky ravines on foot or horseback.

www.aruba.com

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Picture Credit: www.aruba.com

Earth, Wind & Fire blow in

YEH, they’re still with us! Earth, Wind & Fire will be one of the headline bands at this year’s #Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival in #Aruba on September 25 and 26. 

The band, multi-Grammy Award winners and the sound behind 90 million worldwide album sales, will perform on the first night of the festival at Renaissance Festival Plaza in the island’s capital, Oranjestad.

www.caribbeanseajazz.com

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Picture Credit: "CES 2012 - Sony - Earth, Wind, and Fire live performance (6764369147)" by The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA - CES 2012 - Sony - Earth, Wind, and Fire live performance. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Aruba in line for international award

#ARUBA is in line for another prestigious international award, recognizing its world-leading achievements in #sustainabletourism. The #Caribbean island is a finalist for the 2015 World Responsible Tourism Awards to be announced in London in November. This follows Aruba's success earlier this year when it took the winner's spot in the Destination Leadership category of the first National Geographic World Legacy Awards. This recognised its drive to be the world's first country to be free of fossil fuel.

Commenting on this year's entries, managing director of Responsible Tourism and founder of the awards, Justin Francis, said: 'In our entries this year, we've seen organizations clearly influenced by the work of our previous winners, for example, city tours run by homeless guides. It is our responsibility to find those inspirational people again.

'Looking at our hugely diverse list of finalists this year, I think we have found those people. The organizations in the list prove that responsible tourism is viable and can be successful in all types of tourism, from niche to mainstream. These organizations are the shining stars of responsible tourism.'

www.aruba.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37022807@N00/381234724">Flamingo Ping, or Pink Flamingo?</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Island delights

THE Eat Local Aruba Restaurant Week is planned for September 28 to October 9.

Participating restaurants across the island will offer lunch for US$15 and dinner for $30 to $40. No vouchers or passes are required; diners can just turn up and order from the specified menus.

The week is an initiative by the #Aruba Tourism Authority to highlight the island's varied flavours and promote locally-inspired dishes. Aruba's cuisine is a melting pot of nationalities.

Today's typical Aruban cuisine is influenced by the food of the original Arawak and Carib Indians, as well as the imported products of merchants, pirates, and successive conquerors from The Netherlands, Spain, England, Portugal, and France. The traditional dishes of African slaves and Asian servants have spiced it up, too.

www.aruba.com

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New on Aruba

A NEW date has been added to #Aruba's entertainment diary … an annual summer #music #festival.

Scheduled for June 26 and 27 at the Harbour Square Arena in the capital town, Oranjestad, it will include performances by international artists and local bands and entertainers.

Early signings include Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives and Puerto Rico's Jerry Rivera, credited with revolutionizing the world of salsa in the 1990s.

www.aruba.com/our-island/aruba-summer-music-festival

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Picture Credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/38891071@N00/7667566240">Zomercarnaval 2012</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Aruba gets award for fossil fuel-free ambition

Aruba's sustainable energy initiatives have won international recognition. The Caribbean island took top spot in the Destination Leadership category of the National Geographic World Legacy Awards.

Recognizing Aruba's effort to be the world's first country free of fossil fuels, the award was presented during Berlin’s international travel fair.

The awards showcase the travel companies and organizations leading the way in sustainable tourism.

Aruba's Minister of Integration, Infrastructure and Environment, Oslin Sevinger, said: ‘In recent years we have worked closely with the world’s most innovative thinkers on this issue, and we are proud that our efforts and best practices are rubbing off on other Caribbean islands. This is just the beginning.'

Aruba remains on track to be free of fossil fuels by 2020.
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Picture Credit: Eagle Beach Aruba by Original uploader was Rumblebee at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Leoboudv using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Thomson, First Choice increase regional options

MORE regional flying in 2016 is to be introduced by Thomson and First Choice, including a new route to Aruba from Manchester. Additional 10- and 11-night durations to Chania, Crete, are also being made available from Manchester.

Catania in Italy, Hurghada in Egypt, and Sal in Cape Verde are being introduced as new routes from Bristol Airport, together with 10- and 11-night durations to Rhodes.

The move is part of a strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport.

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Picture Credit: Firstchoice b757-200 g-cpep arp by Adrian Pingstone Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Island ready for fun

FINAL preparations are underway for Sail Aruba 2015, the two-day event (May 1-2) commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, of which the island is part.

Expected to be the largest event staged in the port of Oranjestad, it opens at 10am on May 1 when visitors can enjoy a seafood festival, open market, and visit ships in port. 

Dutch Marines – based on the island – will put on displays, and the Aruba Sailing Association will organize races. 

www.sailaruba.com










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Picture Credit: "Barque Picton Castle" & SailAruba logo Courtesy visitaruba.com/; "Caribbean Sunset, Aruba" by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada via Wikimedia Commons; "Oranjestad - Toeristentram / Aruba" by Roel van Deursen - Spijkenisse / Nissewaard / Nederland via Wikimedia Commons; 

JetBlue to step up Caribbean services

JETBLUE AIRWAYS plans to offer its Mint experience from New York’s JFK Airport to Barbados and Aruba, two of its most popular Caribbean routes.

The new seasonal services begin in November.

The Mint service comprises private suites, the widest seat and longest fully-flat bed in the US domestic market, tapas-style dining, custom amenity kits and 15-inch flat screen televisions with free entertainment.

With Mint service to the Caribbean, JetBlue will become the only US carrier to operate regularly scheduled service with lie-flat seating to the region.

Between November and April next year, JetBlue will operate one roundtrip on Saturdays to each Caribbean location.

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5th boom year for Caribbean tourists ..

.. record numbers for the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, and Aruba.

TOURISM to the Caribbean saw its fifth year of growth in 2014, with a record number of visitors and spend. The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) says a record 26.3 million holidaymakers visited the islands in 2014, up 1.3 million on 2013. 

The growth was faster than the region had anticipated, and it came with a record spend of US$29.2 billion (£19.1 billion).

UK numbers were up by 12%, helped by increased flights to the region and more confidence in the economy. 

The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, and Aruba set their own tourism records in the year (making up 45% of arrivals), while St. Lucia, Belize - from the mouth of St, Herman's cave pictured, and Haiti also posted record overnight levels.

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Picture Credit: "Hotel nacional habana". Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons; "St Hermans Cave Belize" by Yourexhalekiss - Own work.via Wikimedia Commons.

Record year for Aruba

BRITISH holidaymakers' interest in Aruba continues as the Dutch Caribbean island celebrates all-time high visitor numbers in 2014.

Statistics show a record number of UK travellers headed to the island last year, while internationally a milestone was reached with more than a million arrivals in a year for the first time.

UK numbers grew by more than 12 percent in 2014, topping the 10,000 mark. There was a 34 percent growth in the number of tourists from Ireland.

Confidence is high that the destination will continue to develop its appeal to the UK market in 2015, helped by the news that Thomson Holidays and First Choice are to operate in Aruba for an additional month this year. 

Their joint charter flight from London Gatwick will serve Aruba through to November 17, rather than ending its season in October as in previous years. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flies to Aruba five times a week, offering departures from 16 UK airports.

www.aruba.com

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Picture Credit: "Coat of arms of Aruba". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons; "Oranjestad" by David et Magalie from Vancouver, Canada via Wikimedia Commons

More choice on Aruba

HOLIDAY opportunities in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba have been extended, with news that Thomson and First Choice are to operate there for an additional month in 2015.

Thomson will be flying to Aruba during November, rather than ending its season in October, as in previous years. See more at - www.aruba.com 

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Picture Credit: "Aruba Manchebo Beach" by Set1536 - Own work. via Wikimedia Commons.

Aruba tourism booms

TOURISM in Aruba expanded in the first half of 2014 at one of the strongest rates in the Caribbean region.

Latest statistics from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation showed a 5.3 percent growth for the six months to June, compared to the same period in 2013. 

The island – a Dutch colony – welcomed almost 490,000 tourists.


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Picture Credit: Centre of Oranjestad, Aruba via Wikimedia Commons