Aruba: tourism as a catalyst for innovation

For World Tourism Day, decreed by the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on September 27, 1980, the island of Aruba is a clear example of how tourism contributes significantly to the world economy, since it represents 86.5% of GDP and provides 87% of employment on the island: Its growth during the first semester of 2018 was 2.6%, compared to 2017.

On the other hand, Aruba is consolidated as an innovative reference in the region, as indicated by several projects of the Tourism Authority of Aruba (ATA), for online immigration cards, the innovative memorandum of understanding with Airbnb, programmatic advertising television in the United States and a long-standing emphasis on digital marketing. "In this way, the island bets on Research, Development and Technological innovation (R + D + i), in order to guarantee its permanence and relevance in the market and encourage the arrival of new visitors and keep recurring tourists," he assured. the director for Latin America of ATA, Miriam Dabian.

Aruba has been a resilient and proactive destination, which constantly works to reinvent itself to be valid and relevant in the market. According to ATA figures, so far this year, of the main reasons for Latin Americans to visit the island, the following segments stand out: sun, sand and sea with 72.8% of the market share, businesses with a 3, 0%, honeymoons with 2.2%, purchases with 3.5%, and diving with 0.8%. The ability to stay connected during holidays, the desire for authentic experiences and environmental responsibility are factors valued by today's tourists, who have enhanced the island's sustained development in terms of innovation.

The Innovation Summit was recently held on the island, organized by the Government of Aruba and the Ministry of General Affairs, where topics such as: the importance of tourism for the economy and how the industry experiences rapid changes in the tastes and preferences of consumers, technology, politics and the economy.

In order to offer and improve the experience to our visitors, Aruba also promotes and invests in projects to make changes that allow the improvement of the product.

"The maintenance and improvement of the Aruba product is important to enrich the experience of our visitors," added Miriam Dabian. The Tourism Authority of Aruba, together with its partners, have a fundamental strategic role in tourism growth and development to make it a leading destination in the Caribbean, with a view to the future.