Over Half a Million Cruise Passengers Visited Aruba in 2006

Aruba was a hit on the high seas in 2006 as the island exceeded expectations and welcomed an eye-opening 314 cruise ships with a total of 591,474 ocean-loving trippers. The notable seven-percent increase of cruise calls over 2005 represents a noteworthy 38,655 additional visitors.

The top cruise line, Royal Caribbean, brought a total of 201,433 beach-bound passengers to Aruba. Carnival Cruise Line’s 1321-room Destiny was the island’s top producing cruise ship, bringing 155,808 sun-seekers to the Caribbean oasis.

In 2007, Aruba is poised to see even more growth in its cruise industry as major renovations are already underway at one of the three cruise terminals and the island is expecting nearly ten new cruise ships to call port this year.

Aruba’s cruise business has experienced a major boom over the past decade. Year-to-date numbers comparing 1996 to 2006 indicate that the island has seen a 15 percent increase of port calls and an astonishing 86.7 percent spike in the number of cruise visitors.

Aruba’s annual cruise high season runs from October to December and last year the island recorded an increase of nearly 12,500 passengers over 2005, representing a six percent growth. Combined, these three months saw 127 port calls and over 206,179 visitors, with December being the strongest month bringing in 51 ships and 34,882 travelers to the island.