Aruba is taking steps to stitch together its tattered image after the disappearance of an Alabama teenager last summer.
After various news reports were critical of how the incident was handled, the government announced several initiatives, including:
- The start-up of a tourism-training program for locals.
- More than $150 million in hotel renovations.
- A $60 million expansion of the Queen Beatrix International Airport and an expansion of the cruise ship terminal.
Despite the incident involving teenager Natalee Holloway, Aruba is expecting a 3% increase in tourism, said Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Authority.
“We’re looking for a growth of 14 to 15% in tourism numbers and revenues in 2006,” Edison Briesen, minister of tourism, told the media.
Report by David Wilkening
