News from Aruba » Essential

No damage from Hurricane Felix

dave — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:14:11 +0000

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 to recognise gay marriages

dave — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:45:51 +0000

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.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Amended

dave — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:24:03 +0000

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 Concludes Tour

dave — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:44:14 +0000

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.

Easing the Pain

dave — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 23:38:23 +0000

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.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Could Cause Job Losses

dave — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:34:45 +0000

The World Travel & Tourism Council has opposed the decision of the US Congress to delay the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to land-based tourism and cruise line passengers, while keeping the January 8 2007 deadline for air passengers.

They estimate the Caribbean region could lose around US $2.6 billion and around 200,000 jobs as a result of the WHTI. Fewer than 30 percent of American citizens have current, valid passports.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Postponed for Cruise Passengers

dave — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 11:22:15 +0000

The US government has delayed the passport requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative until January 1 2008 for land crossings at the Mexican and Canadian borders and for cruise passengers coming to the US from the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada or Bermuda. They amendment does not apply to those travelling by air, who are still required to have a passport from January 8 2007. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) believes the amendment doesn’t go far enough and has equated it to “a category 6 hurricane” in the Caribbean region.