Visit to the Consul-General of the Netherlands in Miami

During this meeting, they discussed various topics regarding cruise tourism. The purpose of the meeting was to explore the availability of the Dutch Consulate to assist the Ministry of Tourism and APA N.V. in various projects according to the vision of the Ministry of Tourism.

The Minister of Tourism shared the government's vision regarding our tourism, which approaches "low volume, high impact". This vision aims to emphasize more on the quality of tourism rather than quantity by utilizing alternative and sustainable energy (climate resilience), thus offering everything Aruba has to offer to our visitors more sustainably in the future. There was discussion about the intention to initiate talks with Curaçao and Bonaire to establish an integrated cruise management between these islands. 

They also discussed the implementation of the MOU signed by the Ministry of Tourism of Aruba and APA with the Jacksonville Port Authority (JaxPort) in March 2023. This collaboration aims to provide the opportunity to import products via JaxPort to Aruba. It will ensure a continuous and secure flow of products. They also discussed the topic  on the agenda during the Seatrade Cruise Global Convention 2024, namely the possibility of introducing ShorePower for cruise ships docking in Aruba. ShorePower offers cruise ships moored at the dock the opportunity to charge their electronic equipment with sustainable alternative energy offered in Aruba.

Consul-General Mrs. Lisette den Breems assured that she would support the various plans presented during the meeting for the future of cruise tourism in Aruba and the other islands that are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.