Aruba’s Cruise Industry Hopes to Catch Big Waves in 2007

The Executive Director of Aruba Cruise Tourism (ACT), Mrs. Kathleen Rojer informed that the cruise tourism for Aruba during 2006 boomed with an impressive arrival of 591,474 cruise passengers with 314 calls.

Figures indicate that during 2005 a total of 552,819 cruise passengers were recorded in comparison with 2006, with a total of 591,474, resulting in an increase of 38,655 cruise passengers, equal to an increase of 7 percent.

The top cruise line producer for Aruba during the year 2006, who brought more passengers, was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line with a total of 201,433 cruise passengers. Figures exclude Celebrity Cruises and Pullmantur Cruises.

Expectations for 2007 look healthy and continuous, where a total of 310 calls are to be expected with over half a million-cruise guests. “This means that Aruba has a prolonged guarantee cruise tourism flow that will continue to visit our island,” Mrs. Rojer expressed

For 2007 a total of 8 new ships are expected to visit the port of Oranjestad, Aruba while the other cruise ships are happy repeat-business.

Aruba welcomed for the first time Minerva II in January and will welcome first-timers Albatross in April, Holiday Dream and Elation in May, Island Princess in October, Emerald Princess and Aida Vita in November, and Sea Cloud on December 15 2007.

Together with the upbeat enthusiasm that the ACT PR Cruise Greeters welcome the disembarking cruise guests, an enhanced new “Aruba Days” book with Aruba information, on what to do, where to go, maps, and coupons, and our upgraded “welcome Back” program Free refrigerator clip, one of its kind, are being distributed to our valuable cruise clientele.