Aruba reports record growth for cruises

The Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba is becoming increasingly popular with cruise holidaymakers, with the Aruba Cruise Tourism Authority reporting a record growth in numbers of cruise passengers for the months of July and August.

July 2009 saw a 6.7% year-on-year increase (from 14,490 to 15,456 passengers), followed by an impressive 32.9% growth for the month of August (from 13,910 passengers in 2008 to a total of 18,494 in 2009). Over these two months, 16 ships called at Aruba, compared with seven for the same period last year.

Aruba already saw a 4.4% growth in cruise passengers for the first six months of 2009, rising from 497,815 to 519,759.

The Aruba Port Authority is anticipating 333 cruise ship calls for 2009, while 296 are already scheduled for 2010.

Joanna Walding, Aruba Tourism Authority UK Director, said:

“Cruises play an important role in boosting Aruba’s long-term visitor growth from the UK. The feedback we have from British cruise visitors about the island has always been very enthusiastic – a lot of them tell us that they loved their taste of Aruba and look forward to returning for a longer holiday.”

Day visitors to Aruba can opt for a jeep safari through the island’s desert-like interior, enjoy some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving in the Caribbean – or simply relax on one of Aruba’s paradise beaches.

Aruba’s main harbour is situated on the south-western end of the island, only a five-minute walk from the colourful downtown area of Oranjestad, the island’s capital.

For more information on cruising in Aruba please go to the websites of Aruba Cruise Tourism - arubabycruise.com and Aruba Ports Authority - arubaports.com .

For more information on visiting Aruba, see aruba.com.