Oranjestad – During its General Assembly this week at the Renaissance Convention Center, the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association elected its new Board of Directors for 2007. Businessman Alfonso Riveroll from the Aruba Resort & Casino maintained his position as the Chairman of the Board, followed by Bucuti's Ewald Biemans, 1st Vice Chairman, and 2nd Vice Chairman Warren Stanley, Atlantis Adventures. Marriott's Rick Zeolla will continue as Treasurer, while Alex Nieuwmeyer from Divi Resorts was re-elected as Secretary. The Board's Directors, consisting of Scott Allen – Hyatt, Bill Carson – Caribbean Mercantile Bank, Eduardo de Veer - Renaissance, Lisette Malmberg – De Palm Tours, David Smith - Valero and Peter Steinmetz – Aruba Airport Authority, remained the same. The board also welcomed two additional directors - Gary Jutz, General Manager of the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino and Guillermo Valencia, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Sunspree.
During the General Assembly, CEO Jorge Pesquera also outlined AHATA's new philosophy: Essential by Design: I3. Pesquera explained that it was AHATA's goal to become an essential contributor to its members' business performance, designing its organization in order to meet that goal. The three I's – Inspiration, Imagination and Innovation will be required in all decision making, not to mention an enthusiastic and focused management team.
A 2006 Situation Analysis showed significant drops in every area, from Occupancy Rates (down 11.6%) to the number of Visitors (down by 10.15%). To counter these drops, Pesquera outlined AHATA's Strategic Priorities for the upcoming year, designed to help boost Aruba and its tourism product. AHATA's priorities for 2007 include Destination Marketing for Leisure & Groups, Advocacy & Member Support Services, a National Strategic Plan for Tourism, Marketing Funding Development and a Consumer Direct Platform.
While the Treasurer's Report highlighted a net positive result of $1.3 Million for 2006, this news was sobered by the fact that 2007 will hold many challenges for AHATA, including the new U.S. Passport Requirements, rising Cost of Doing Business (BBO), Limited Funding for Marketing and Depleted Reserves.
Despite the challenges AHATA will continue with its marketing initiatives and member services, funded by the association's new budget, which was approved during the General Assembly. The island might have faced a slump during 2006, but AHATA is prepared to face the tough issues head on and work together towards a better tourism product in Aruba.
