ATA appreciates the recognition granted in the context of 5 years of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes recognized the crisis team on this day. The team included Mrs. Ronella Croes of the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA), Mr. Rino Hermans of the Crisis Management Office Aruba, Mrs. Sharline Koolman, advisor to the Ministry of Social Affairs, and Mrs. Vanessa Kock, who was in charge of the land package and border security.

ATA appreciates this recognition granted by the Prime Minister.

Now that everything has returned to normal, it is essential to take a moment to reflect on the effort made as a country to overcome this challenging time. It was not easy, as the focus was on economic recovery while facing a serious health threat that took the lives of several citizens. Despite the pain and sorrow, everyone had to keep fighting to safeguard as many persons’ health as possible while convincing the world that Aruba was ready to welcome visitors again.

By the end of 2019, monitoring of the virus in China had already begun. In January and February 2020, ATA analyzed the potential impact of the virus on Aruba’s tourism industry. On March 8, 2020, the Crisis Management Office (CMO)  summoned ATA CEO Ronella Croes. That same day, the first case of a person arriving in Aruba from a high-risk area in China was detected.\

On Friday, March 13, 2020, Aruba closed its borders and became isolated from the world. Life continued, and critical matters had to be addressed, such as the number of Arubans stranded abroad. Meanwhile, another team began preparations for reopening. There was no time to waste, as Aruba depends on tourism.

ATA responded immediately 

It was the moment when ATA had to change Aruba’s communication strategy and launched the campaign “We are open for Happiness.” The decision was made to reopen the borders within three months. The reopening process started at the end of June, followed by the U.S. on July 10, then Latin America, and later Europe.

Aruba stood out and won international awards for its effective management and recovery plan for our destination after border closure, the implementation of the digital immigration platform, the introduction of a special COVID insurance for visitors, and the collaboration between the public and private sectors for tourism recovery.

While the world feared reopening due to the imminent risks of the virus, Aruba chose to reopen while keeping the island under control. It was not an easy decision, and the Government of Aruba trusted the professionals who advised that reopening was feasible, even though most international organizations advised against it.

From July to December 2020, after reopening the borders, visitor arrivals decreased by 74% for the entire year. However, with determination and teamwork, a slow but stable recovery was observed, reducing the decline to -28% in 2021. By 2022, while there was still a total decline of -2%, full recovery was observed from April 2022 onward.

Comparing 2023 and 2024 with 2019 shows an increase of 13% and 27%, respectively. Comparisons between 2024 and 2019 have ceased since full recovery was recorded in 2023. A comparison between 2024 and 2023 shows that Aruba experienced a 12.8% growth in arrivals. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Aruba’s Guest Experience Index remained stable at around 9.1, indicating a high level of guest satisfaction from July 2020 to December 2024.