Aruba in 2033

ARUBA IN THE YEAR 2033

I would like to share my vision of an efficient Aruba in 2033. The topics I would like to touch on are of an economic and social nature.

Economic growth is a hot topic in any country, but for a small country like Aruba it is essential to have a healthy economy. This year the economic growth turned out to be lower than expected: 2,6%.

Aruba’s main source of income at the moment, and for many years already, is tourism. In my opinion one should improve this sector, but also economically expand. It is not safe to lay all your eggs in one basket. Aside from the oil refinery being reopened, I can see Aruba having an eminent harbor in 2033 to make an influential connection between Europe and the Americas. Similar to Rotterdam’s harbor, Aruba could benefit of this both economically and socially. It would create jobs and attract investors, which could ultimately improve living conditions on Aruba and raise the quality of labor we offer on our island.

When it comes to tourism, Aruba knows what it is doing. The only thing is, we are not stimulating it’s growth in the right way. Instead of raising the supply of this case: hotels, one should innovate the current supply. The law of Supply and Demand states that if the supply is greater than the demand, the prices will drop and consequently the revenue will drop as well.

To raise the demand, one should innovate the product. Hotels on Aruba have a great reputation, but they are not living up to that reputation anymore. I would like for that to be different in 2033.

We have to improve the quality of the workers to increase sales. The workers are the face of any company. If we improve those by providing courses, raising salaries to a decent standard, it will benefit the companies. Happy workers are better workers on our happy island.

Aruba has the facilities to deliver high quality workers and therefore does not need to import human resources. In the last ten years our foreign population has...