Hurricane Felix passed around 100 km north of Aruba today. The island experienced only rough surf and rain showers. No damage has been reported and Queen Beatrix International Airport has reopened.
Aruba has become the first Caribbean island to recognise gay marriages. Last week the Dutch Supreme Court ordered the island to recognise same sex-marriages that have been registered in the Netherlands or other countries where they are legal. Aruba is an independent member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and has been in a dispute with the Dutch authorities over the issue for the last three years. It arose after a Dutch lesbian couple moved to Aruba in 2004 and tried to register their marriage.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has been amended yet again. US citizens traveling to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico by air now have to have a passport by January 23 2007. The previous deadline was January 8 2007.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has concluded her short tour of Aruba. During the visit she visited a cosmetics factory and several schools. She also visited the Central Bank of Aruba where she witnessed the casting of the island’s first coin with text written in the local dialect of Papiamento.
Several hotels in Aruba are offering incentives to help ease the pain of new passport requirements introduced by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Travellers visiting Aruba with new passports (unstamped by another country) will be offered food and beverage credits by the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort, Renaissance, Westin, MVC Eagle Beach and the Boardwalk Boutique Hotel.