Page 9 - AHATA

A8
Wednesday 6 January 2021

Between Christmas and New Year Aruba
welcomed 12.700 visitors
Aruba Tourism Authority
calculated between 40 and 45

thousand tourists in December

they can inform that we of Covid-19 on the island
received almost 45.000 visi- in which the Crisis Team al-
tors during this month which ready has taken measure-
exceeds their expectation. ments. A.T.A. considers this
Aruba is closing its tourism very important and much
figures for 2020 with a 68% needed to protect our
to 70% decrease com- health and also to prevent
pared to 2019. Such de- this situation to impact the
crease is also what other current high season. Janu-
key destinations in the re- ary 2021 is looking to be
gion are experiencing. An- strong, but the increase in
other good sign according active cases is a point of
to A.T.A.’s CEO is that the concern which can highly
result of 2020 is in line with impact our tourism. Things
By Benjamin Romero sector. A very tough task in states that the amount of what the World Tourism also got complicated in-
ORANJESTAD — From De- which the reality of things visitors started to increase Organization (WTO) pre- ternationally during the last
cember 28th, 2020 up till needed to be informed since October. Septem- dicted. The organization month of 2020, where there
January 3rd, 2021 Aru- without losing the motiva- ber was the worst month in prognoses a 70% decrease was a high increase of Co-
ba welcomed a total of tion to continue working for which we had a drastic de- in 2020 compared to 2019. vid-19 cases at our markets
12.700 visitors. This last fig- our economic pillar. “We crease in visitors due to the “We are in line with the of the Netherlands and the
ure helped the increase in played different roles”, Tjin high increase in active Co- tendency of the expected US.
numbers for the month of Asjoe-Croes says. vid-19 cases on the island. grade of recovery”, says
December 2020 which ex- since Tjin Asjoe-Croes. Tjin Asjoe-Croes interpreted
ceeded the expectation of In 2020 A.T.A. formed a spe- For December 2020, ATA the touristic development
the Aruba Tourism Authority cial commission together was expecting a total of Concerns as still positive since many
(A.T.A.), after experiencing with the private sector and 37.000 visitors, but after For the last couple of days people are looking to travel
an extremely challeng- the airport in which they receiving the last figures we have been seeing a and choose Aruba as their
ing year. The impact of the worked and brainstormed rise again in active cases vacation destination. q
Covid-19 affected our eco- on a recovery plan for the
nomic sector immensely. tourism sector and they
prepared for the reopening
CEO of A.T.A., Ronella Tjin of the borders back in June
Asjoe-Croes qualified 2020 2020. They also introduced
as a ‘unique year’. A.T.A. the immigration platform
even has a special slogan online as well as the Aru-
naming 2020 as an ‘unfor- ba Health and Happiness
gettable year’. The word Code program to ensure
‘unforgettable’ is the per- our travelers a safe and
fect word to describe 2020 healthy destination.
due to so many reasons. An
unforeseen turn of event A.T.A. also was responsible
due to the Covid-19 crisis. to maintain and execute all
But ‘unforgettable’ had necessary work internation-
also its positive side in which ally for our tourism industry.
A.T.A. had to look into new Tjin Asjoe-Croes explains
ways to improvise their way that in the past A.T.A. al-
of doing business. Initiatives ready adapted to certain
were taken, the organiza- situations that occur ad
tion started collaborations hoc and they have the ex-
with other organizations perience to know what the
such as the medical sec- consumer is asking for.
tor and is taking part in the
national Crisis Team, where December 2020
difficult and unique deci- Looking back at the num-
sions were taken for the en- ber of visitors we had during
tire community. A.T.A. also the end of the year 2020 to
played a significant role 2021 we can say that the
in guiding and providing tourism started off on the
information to the tourism right foot. Tjin Asjoe-Croes