Regenerative Tourism

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/regenerative-tourism/

The EMPIRE of Carnival

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-empire-of-carnival/

The community remembers Julie Renfro

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-community-remembers-julie-renfro/

Opportunistic Video, designed to get attention

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/opportunistic-video-designed-to-get-attention/

You can’t manage what you can’t measure

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/you-cant-manage-what-you-cant-measure/

Palm Beach pedestrian street deteriorated

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/palm-beach-pedestrian-street-deteriorated/

I was walking the Palm Beach strip yesterday. And to my surprise I feel the area has deteriorated rapidly.

Certain parts of the sidewalks are in such state of deterioration, it is just waiting for a person to trip and fall. Some hotels could do a better job on there street  front lawn and tree landscaping. The grass at the park in front of RIU Antillas is brown, use to be lush and green  previous years.

There is literally trash at certain sections of the palm beach strip sidewalk in front of the hotels. I mean that is the first impression of their property. Don’t the managers not order maintenance several times a day outside their property?

The amount of electric steps placed on the sidewalks is astounding, totally out of control and an ugly site. Where is regulation? People are driving the electric steps on the sidewalk almost hitting tourists? They should be on the streets.

Lastly the amount of stickers placed on streetlights and signs on the Palm Beach strip makes the whole area look ghetto. Why are they not removed by property management?

I have attached an image in the e-mail.

I just don’t know who to forward the observations too. Bought thought about you first because of your local network in the tourism sector. Aruba is selling itself as a five stars destination, but the Palm Beach hotel strip needs to get its act together. It does not look good at all.

Warm regards,

Edward

We recently heard the Minister of Tourism say he aims at a shift, where VALUE would be the organizing principle, across the board, for visitors and locals. He also reiterated that wellbeing of the island and its residents was most important in the long term.

We all agreed.

Then he mentioned that success, is not measured by arrivals, neither by occupancy figures. We must use other metrics, he said.

We all agreed.

A bit further down his address he announced that every 1% of growth in the number of tourists coming here, MUST generate 2% increase in spending on island. He declared his resolve to increase economic yield, in relationship to the pressure placed on people and infrastructure.

That is when we wondered, how do we know that for every 1% of growth in people, the individual output of money, of every visitor, grows by 2%?

How do we get to that point where each individual arriving is willing to spend more? We do not offer any five-star exclusive, personalized, and memorable services, which would make visitors willing to spend more, because they feel they are getting something special, saving time, enhancing their vacations, or dazzling their partners and family members.

For visitors to spend more we must enhance our VIP services, focus on luxury, and ultra comfort, created upgrades that justify premium spending.

I already mentioned that we have been hearing about the High Yield visitor since 2018, maybe before.

But is anyone collecting data on the level of spending of these mythological desired guests.

The Central Bank last published a report in 2019.

It is the job of CBS, the Central Bureau of Statistics, but I understand that they are short of hands and do what they do on a skeleton crew. They obviously need a generous budget from the government in order to collect better data.

If we are interested in that mythological High Yield visitor, we must study his/her habits, see what he/she wants. And attempt to give it to him/her.

If that kind of tourism is important, why do not we pour money into studying its behavior and get data that would tell us.

We already know nowadays Latin Americans do not spend as much money as Americans, and they stay longer, paying less, they do not fall into the High Yield category, maybe we should spend less money on promotion in Latin America?

So data is important, and we do not seem to collect it diligently enough.

On the other hand conspiracy theorists would say that CBS and ATA collect the data, but they do not publish their findings.

We all agree that tourism is important, we cannot continue to run it on notions, on intuition, we need scientific data to support how we are spending our money, so that we attract the right crowd, generation money for businesses, more employment, and plenty of tax money for the government.

Drinking & Driving

Sixty-four drivers lost their driver’s license over Carnival weekend, Thursday to Sunday. The Police reported it was less than last year!

It means that the police arrested a proportionately SUBSTANTIAL number of drivers for drinking and driving in our small community, which is especially notable given the island’s relatively small population. This number of arrests highlights the scale of the challenge locally. The high number of arrests shows that drinking and driving is a grave issue in the community, and not surprisingly the police announced it is sending a strong message to drivers — they are cracking down on impaired driving.

The penalties are more severe for those who blow between 786 and 865, on the breathalyzer, they will have to appear in court. The prosecutor will decide the faith of those who are first offenders and those whose breathalyzer blood alcohol results hit a lower scale.

When talking about the issue of driving under the influence, the police is polite and call it tiredness, “tur e influencia di cansansio y alcohol.” This is NOT tiredness, this is drunkenness.

Why do you call the baby by its name, BURACHERIA.

NoticiaCla calls it correctly.

We are grateful for the work done by the police, and for the firm stance they are taking to protect bystander, pedestrians, and other drivers, but please call the culprit by its name.

We are not telling you not to drink, says the police spokesperson, we are just telling you not to drink and drive!

A recent video posted by #5 on the AVP party list, a longtime member of that party, and now a parliamentarian on its behalf, Carlos Bermudez, gave him much publicity with over 1.3K views and 427 supportive comments, 270 shares, more than the number of votes he received in the last election.

The man was depicted standing on the beach in his street clothes, talking over a gushing, aggressive musical track, lecturing forcefully, almost at a fevered pitch about…. beach palapas.

Ridiculous…. all those who clicked and shared, they want to kill the industry and position themselves as heroes.

E Beach ta di Nos, roared the man who looks like he has not been to the beach since childhood, and perhaps does not even own a bathing suit.

According to him, the Police must get involved frequently when locals try to sit under palapas and hotel security shoes them away. His solution, remove the palapas.

Which reminds me of an old joke in which a man comes home to find his wife with the postman on the couch, and he then furiously throws away the couch.

The information shared by Bermudez is false.

Locals are respectful. The fight is not with locals.

The vacation rental guests and cruise ship passengers who get dumped on our beaches by transportation companies – they are the once trying to occupy palapas meant for resort guests, who are higher paying guests, especially in the high season.

WE JUST HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE ON THE BEACH, and too few palapas. We must reduce the number of beach goers not palapas.

Dear Carlos: Beachgoers need shade. Our visitors come here for the beach, not for our Pan Bati, and they deserved a beach that is ready to receive them, clean, no cigarette butts, well equipped with palapas, etc.

It would be helpful if the government ADDED more palapas in various locations to accommodate the demand.

Your video only had one redeeming feature at the end when you asked people to take their trash with them when they leave the beach.

Otherwise you are a typical out of touch politician. Just like the OTHER member of your party who wishes to see lifeguards on our beaches, which would open the door to lawsuits and questions of liability, falling on the hotel shoulders, beside the exuberant cost.

Why don’t you start regulating, and monitoring the beach watersports vendors, first??

It was an opportunistic video, as if elections are around the corner, designed to draw attention, because very few knew who he was before this. In that aspect, it was successful.

Aruba’s community was shocked at hearing that Julia Renfro, 59, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday.

She left behind three children, Jordan, Amanda and Paris, parents, siblings, and many friends and colleagues on the island, who were shocked and moved by her sudden passing.

Julie arrived in Aruba with windsurfing and the Aruba Hi-Winds competition. The event’s first year success, 1987, helped it gain sanction from the PBA, the Professional Boardsailing Association, for the 1988 World Tour. Julie, a California surfing girl worked for the PBA. She helped promote Aruba as a top-tier windsurfing destination with many of the sport’s superstars breaking record due to the island’s favorable windsurfing conditions.

Anthony Blok, the founder of Hi-Winds writes:  I was a 19 with an idea of creating a windsurfing event in Aruba, and Julie was the “travel desk” at world publications. In the time before Expedia and Facebook. Julie was the sweet bubbly personality on the other side of the telephone that made my travel to promote Hi-Winds, to the remote windsurfing spots, possible, and she had passion for sailing, and fell in love with Aruba, after coming over to help with coverage and the press in the early years of Hi-Winds, Julie and I became friends – I will remember Julie’s smile and goal oriented focus….

You could say that wind blew Julie in, probably around 1989, and she stayed and made a life for her own, getting married, raising a family.

Carla Cavallaro, Jolly Pirates, writes: I remember Julie when she first arrived…full of life, a talented windsurfer so beautiful, her generous smile and a free spirit that found her home in Aruba. Her greatest love was for her children, whom she spoke of with so much pride. She was always very supportive to me and a pleasure to work with during her time as editor at the Aruba Today newspaper, and I will always remember her for that kindness. May her light live on in the hearts of her children, and may she rest in peace.

In Aruba, Julie enjoyed a successful career as a marketing and PR consultant to some of the island’s most prominent businesses, The Allegro Resort & Casino, the Wyndham Aruba Resort & Casino, the Office of Aruba’s Prime Minister, the Minister of Health & Sports, the Aruba Tourism Authority and the Aruba Today, the island’s biggest English language newspaper. She always enjoyed a special relationship with Mr. Marriott, of Marriott international and he insisted Julie would attend all festivities at his hotels here and document them, in writing and in pictures.

Later in her career, Julie turned to photography, full time, especially wedding photography, and was a popular choice among brides and honeymooners.

Toko Winklaar, Aruba’s most senior journalist/Columnist, who worked with Julie at BonDia/Aruba Today, writes, in loving memory: When we first started the newspapers Bon Dia and Aruba Today, we hired a journalist from the Atlanta Constitution. Julie initially came to Aruba to compete in the Hi-Winds International Windsurfing Competition, where she won the ladies’ division. She returned the following year and then again because she had fallen in love with Aruba: its beaches, its wind, and its spirit. Before long, she decided Aruba would become her second home. Looking for work, Julie walked into the office of Aruba Today and applied for a position. After her interview, management offered her a role in advertising sales. She quickly proved her dedication and talent, not only in sales but also in writing. She began contributing articles to the newspaper, and through her passion and commitment, she eventually became Editor-in-Chief of Aruba Today. I met Julie in the 1990s and had the privilege of knowing her for about 25 years. She was a hardworking, caring, and sociable woman, always open to any project that benefited Aruba. One of her most beautiful qualities was her warmth, she was truly a lovely lady who embraced ideas, plans, and people with an open heart, especially when it came to Aruba. Julie’s love for this island and its community was genuine and lasting. She left a meaningful mark on Aruba and on everyone who knew her. She will be deeply missed.

John Chemaly Sr. the owner of the Bondia/Aruba Today newspapers writes: I was saddened to hear about the untimely passing of Julie. Our editor, Toko Winklaar hired Julie, and i can remember that i always liked her. She was friendly, energetic, liked by her coworkers and most importantly advertisers, for whom she was willing to go the extra mile, which made the Aruba Today the most popular and widely read English language newspaper on the island. Her contribution was invaluable. May she rest in peace.

Write Tina Bislick, Island Creative Consultants, who worked with Julie at the Aruba Today: Working as Julie’s right hand at Aruba Today and as a fellow expat, I learned a lot about navigating the island’s journalism landscape as a newcomer and will always be grateful to her for being the trailblazer and creating a path for expat journalists like me to follow. I hope that colorful and whimsical spirit I met so many years ago is free to express herself in beautiful ways now.

Gabe Casey, Manager of Guest Interaction, at Iberostar, the Club, one of Julie’s colleagues writes: While I had likely bumped into Julie on several occasions at random social settings, the first time I was formally introduced to her was at a press event when I was working for a rival newspaper, and she proposed I come over to work for the Aruba Today of which she was the Editor-in-Chief at the time. I enjoyed collaborating with her in this venture. I learned a lot from her about the industry, as well as about living life with a free spirit and a kind heart, as this was the essence she exuded. The love, care and protection of her children were always first in mind for her, another aspect of her that I always admired and respected. Julie Renfro touched my life as I’m sure she did most people she was acquainted with. A good woman with a good heart. She will be missed.

Jeff Lesker. former GM Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino writes: We met while she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Aruba Today newspaper and the cofounder or Island Temptations Magazine. My resort was the magazine’s first client, she sold me the back page, for big bucks, in two seconds flat. She had an infectious smile along with uplifting laughter and was always willing to go out of her way to help a client or friend often times one and the same!

Rona Coster, Bati Bleki, writes: Julie loved animals. she was incredibly loyal to a cute, brown, short rider who followed her everywhere on her last years on the island. During the pandemic Julie cared for abandoned cats in her neighborhood. Before leaving the island to go live in Florida, December 21st, 2021, she made sure her beloved pets, one dog, two cats, are cared for in new forever homes. She sent me a picture of Aruba from the air as the plane was leaving. Her neighbor Maureen Vieira was of great help when Julie decided to relocate.