Aruba had its big break in FITUR 2003 with flying colors

The Caribbean island of Aruba had an independent stand for the first time in the history the FITUR fair in Madrid, Spain, an event that also marked the grand opening of that country’s representation office in the Spanish capital.

Spotted in the Caribbean and the Americas area, the stand was a smash hit among the public, the press and experts that attended the five-day event.

With the presence of the Aruban delegation formed by engineer Edison Briesen, the island nation’s minister of tourism and transportation; Mirna Jansen, director-general of the Tourism Office; Rafael Estrada, director for Europe, and Tirso Tromp, associate marketing and PR director for Europe, negotiations with major tour operators linked to the Spanish market got underway with a view to include this destination in their catalogs and brochures. Talks with airlines were also held to establish agreements and get the best routes and flights between Spain and Aruba.

News outlets also had an outstanding presence at the fair. Aruba’s stand was picked by TV station Telemadrid for the top slot of its afternoon prime show Madrid Directo, that featured an interview with Mirna Jansen, director-general of Aruba’s Tourism Office.

One of the elements that caught on pleasantly with the public was the fact that Aruba is a Spanish-speaking destination blessed with a huge assortment of offers for everyone, regardless of people’s budgets and age.

Expectations for the upcoming summer are quite upbeat given the outcomes of both the fair and Aruba’s Tourism Office in Madrid that will now embark on a full-scale advertisement of the destination.