Aruba Invests Over $200 Million in Tourism; Island Forges Ahead in 2006 with Major Renovations & Expansions at Airport, Hotels & Cruise Ship Terminal, Plus Increased Airlift.ORANJESTAD, Aruba Oranjestad (English: "Orange City"), with a population of 26,355 (2000), is the capital and most important city of Aruba located on the southern coast near the western end of the island. In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is often referred to simply as "Playa". -- The Aruba Tourism Authority, together with its private sector partners, is forging ahead in 2006 with major investments in its tourism product totaling over $200 million. Expansions and renovations encompass virtually every sector of the travel industry, from the airport and cruise terminal to hotels, spas and restaurants. "The island of Aruba is making significant investments in economic development across the island," said Minister of Tourism and Transportation Edison Briesen. "The $200 million flowing into tourism is indicative of the strength of this market and the island's dedication to serving our visitors and enhancing the guest experience. We are poised for an increase in both tourism numbers and revenue in 2006." Significant investment and expansion, to the tune of over $34 million, is underway at Queen Beatrix International Airport Coordinates: Queen Beatrix International Airport (IATA: AUA, ICAO: TNCA), in Oranjestad, Aruba, is a fairly large aviation facility that has flight services to the United States, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern (www.airportaruba.com). The airport's growth plan includes the installation of elevators to make the facility more accessible for disabled travelers, the addition of a new central security area, updated signage, free luggage carts and more. The improvements are well-timed as many carriers, including American Airlines American Airlines Major U.S. airline. American was created through a merger of several smaller U.S. airlines and incorporated in 1934. It continued to buy the routes of other airlines, becoming an international carrier in the 1970s; its routes include South America, the , Continental Airlines, Delta Song, United Airlines, US Airways airways Anatomy The 'pipes'–trachea, bronchi, bronchioles–through which air passes to and from the alveoli. See Small airways. , have recently expanded service to the island. Aruba is also planning changes at the cruise ship terminal, which will be expanded. The Government of Aruba is investing approximately $16 million in the creation of the largest linear park in the Caribbean, stretching 10 miles from Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport to the end of the high-rise hotel corridor. The new landscaping will include green areas, walking and bike paths, designed to enhance the ocean view along this much-traveled stretch from airport to hotels. Other areas of the island, such as Baby Beach, on the east end, and downtown Oranjestad, the island's capital, are undergoing development and upgrades. One of the most visible sectors of change is among the island's hotels and resorts, where over $150 million has been invested in major renovation and expansions spanning 2005 through 2007: --In spring 2006 the RIU RIU Regulatory Impact Unit (United Kingdom) RIU Remote Interface Unit RIU Radio Interface Unit RIU Refractive Index Unit RIU Remux Interface Unit RIU Radar/Remote Interface Unit RIU Riverine Interdiction Unit Aruba Grand will close for a $40-million expansion to add 286 guestrooms. When completed, the new and improved resort with be the five-star, 451-room RIU Palace. www.riu.com/uk/palm_beach/hotel_riu_aruba_grand.html --Holiday Inn Sunspree Aruba is undergoing a $5-million renovation, the first phase of a three-year program. www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/AUAAN --The Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort's $20-million Divi Phoenix tower construction will start in 2006 and complete in fall 2007. The new development will more than double the size of the existing property adding 140 units, including timeshares, studios, one, two and three-bedrooms, in four buildings, bringing the total number of rooms to 241. www.diviresorts.com --The Divi Aruba All-Inclusive will invest $5.5 million and deliver 55 additional rooms by December 2006. www.diviresorts.com --Divi Village Golf and Beach Resort, a $42 million endeavor, features 52 new units, which opened August 2005. Phase two will offer 52 additional rooms in April 2006, 56 units in December 2006 and 80 more by the end of 2007. www.diviresorts.com --The Divi Dutch Village Beach Resort underwent a $10-million renovation in 2005. www.diviresorts.com --The Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino completed a ballroom and casino expansion in 2005, is planning a $3.4-million room renovation in late spring 2006 and will spend $12 million renovating rooms in 2007. www.arubamarriott.com --The Tara Beach Suites at the Bucuti Beach Resort Aruba just spent $5 million remodeling remodeling /re·mod·el·ing/ (re-mod´el-ing) reorganization or renovation of an old structure. bone remodeling Bucuti wing rooms. www.bucuti.com --Wyndham Aruba Resort, Spa and Casino recently completed the construction of a new 10,000-square-foot ballroom, connected to the existing ballroom. The two spaces total 20,000 square feet, making it the second largest ballroom on the island. www.wyndhamaruba.com --The Talk of the Town Hotel and Beach Club invested $500,000 in the front of the hotel. www.talkofthetownaruba.com --The Mill Resort spent $600,000 renovating the pools and first-floor rooms. www.millresort.com --Andicuri Valley Resort and Spa is a multi-million project planned for the rustic and picturesque valley of Andicuri. The eco resort will feature 80 rooms. Other areas of investment include: --The launch of "The Aruba Promise," an island-wide tourism-training program. --Spa openings at the Costa Linda Beach Resort Aruba (late 2005) and Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino (schedule for November 2006, $5.2 million). www.costalinda-aruba.com or www.radisson.com/aruba --De Palm Tours is pumping $5 million into a new fleet of all-terrain vehicles all-ter·rain vehicle n. Abbr. ATV A small, open motor vehicle having one seat and three or more wheels fitted with large tires. It is designed chiefly for recreational use over roadless, rugged terrain. and Land Rovers See LANRover. and a major renovation to its private island, De Palm Island. The addition of a water park on the island is scheduled for completion in summer 2006. www.depalm.com --New restaurants, such as Foot Prints Beach Grill (Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino); The Promenade II Promenade II is a 691-foot (211-meter) tall skyscraper in Midtown Atlanta. It has 40 stories of office space and its construction was completed in 1990. It is currently the seventh-tallest skyscraper in Atlanta. (Aruba's Sun Plaza Sun Plaza is a shopping mall in Bucharest, Romania developed by EMCT Romania, under the design of the Spanish architect Chapman Taylor. The mall will have:
For more information on planning a trip to Aruba, contact the Aruba Tourism Authority at 1-800-TO-ARUBA or visit www.aruba.com. Aruba, where happiness lives, is truly a vacationer's paradise. Located only two-and-a-half hours by air from Miami and four hours from New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , the island is ideally situated outside the hurricane belt The hurricane belt is an area in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, which is prone to hurricanes during the Atlantic hurricane season. The only places in the Caribbean that are not in the hurricane belt are the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Bonaire, and boasts year-round cooling trade winds and perfect weather with average annual temperatures of 82 Fahrenheit and less than 20 inches of rainfall per year. Aruba serves up 27 luxurious hotels/resorts, championship golf courses, sumptuous spas, vibrant casinos, extraordinary international cuisine, exclusive shops and boutiques, exciting land and water activities, unique cultural to-dos, world-famous music festivals and events and more. The backdrop of a pristine tropical escape coupled with the unforgettable hospitality of the islands people keep Aruba's first-time guests delighted and its repeat visitor rate at 40%, the highest of any Caribbean destination. For more information on planning a trip to Aruba, contact the Aruba Tourism Authority at 1-800-TO-ARUBA or visit www.aruba.com. The U.S. State A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States, although four states use the official title "commonwealth". The separate state governments and the federal government share sovereignty, in that an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and Department and the Department Homeland Security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States recently announced the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative “WHTI” redirects here. For other uses, see WHTI (disambiguation). The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (or WHTI) requires all travelers to show a valid passport when traveling to the United States from areas within the western hemisphere. , which will require all U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, to carry a passport or other accepted secure documents to enter or re-enter re·en·ter also re-en·ter v. re·en·tered, re·en·ter·ing, re·en·ters v.tr. 1. To enter or come in to again. 2. To record again on a list or ledger. v.intr. the U.S. from vacations or business travel anywhere in the Caribbean effective December 31, 2006. This requirement is applied to all air and sea travel. The Aruba Tourism Authority, in an effort to assist its valued visitors, strongly encourages all travelers to apply for their passports and advises all travelers to allow six to eight weeks to process U.S. passport applications in anticipation of their vacations to Aruba, where happiness lives. For more information on the new U.S. passport initiative, please visit www.travel.state.gov. Images of Developments Available Upon Request from Quinn & Co. |
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