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AWEMainta Diabierna, 13 November 2015 35
One Of The Oldest
Tourism Associations
In The Caribbean
EAGLE, the island’s Aruba Tourism Authority. rael; some as Association made by President & CEO
ORANJES- emerging Many famous names, mov- Presidents – Jan de Ruit- Jorge Pesquera.
TAD.—The hospitality ers and shakers of this er, Brian Reeves, Gerrit They were aimed at de-
industry. Griffith, Ed Malone, Hen- livering superb marketing
Aruba Hotel Inci- community, went through drick Santos, Eduardo de support and membership
& Tour- den- an AHATA phase some- Veer, Alex Nieuwmeyer, services, distinguishing
ism As- tal- time during their illustri- Jeff Lesker, Alfonso Riv- AHATA as one of the pre-
socia- ly, ous career, some in an ex- eroll, and Jorge Pesquera. miere hotel and tourism
tion, Ar- ecutive position – Michael Significant changes in associations in the Carib-
AHATA, ends Kuiperi, Anabela Peterson, AHATA’s structure were bean.
was first Adwina Arends, Fritz Is-
established in will later be-
1966 as the Aruba Ho- come AHATA’s CEO, and Nos ta gradici y felicita
tel Association. Later, in oversee the expansion of AHATA pa e contribucion na nos
1987, in order to broaden its role even further in desaroyo turistico
the scope of the organi- the 90s. Local hotelier Ike Dunando Aruba e miho di nan mes
zation and include more Cohen went on to become pa 50 aña caba
members in tourism re- the Caribbean Hotel Asso- Masha pabien!
lated businesses, the name ciation’s first recipient of
was changed to AHATA, the Golden Conch award,
the Aruba Hotel & Tourism when the regional award
Association. was created in 1978.
Original members, hote-
lier Ike Cohen and Pub- AHATA’s first modest
lisher Rory Arends report headquarters were situ-
that the Cactus Inn, Hotel ated in Bubali, at a tiny
Nassau, the Coral Strand office fondly referred to as
Hotel and the Aruba Carib- the Bubali Hilton. The of-
bean were the first mem- fice later moved to the ad-
bers to join, they had their ministrator’s house. Henk
eyes on a prosperous fu- Smouter who served the
ture and they understood organization for 13 years,
that tourism will eventu- used his private residence
ally become a major eco- as AHATA’s command
nomic pillar for the island. center. As the organiza-
The seeds of collaboration tion continued to grow,
between the private sec- it moved into a historic
tor and the public sector building in Eagle, where
were introduced as early it is still operating. The
as 1966 when Rory Arends old guard house of the
at the time Commission- Eagle oil refinery was first
aire of Tourism and a gov- rented, then with the help
ernment official joined the of Caribbean Mercantile
board of AHA as commis- Bank, purchased and re-
sioner. The hoteliers and furbished to contain the
the government represen- nerve center of hospitality
tatives banded together in Aruba, conveniently lo-
determined to explore cated just a few steps away
marketing avenues for from the government’s
