The new President & CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association introduced himself yesterday to the press and the tourism community at a conference held at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino. "I would like to become the island's adoptive son," he said, "not your hired gun."
The new tourism executive hails from Puerto Rico where he was the head of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau for over a decade increasing that island's group business significantly. Pesquera will be stepping into the shoes of Horace Hord, the retiring AHATA President & CEO who reports he will be maintaining contact with Aruba in his future endeavors in the tourist sector.
Pesquera spoke about the need to apply best practices to the marketing and managing of Aruba as a destination, even if successful models such as Rotterdam or Vancouver are looked at for inspiration. He stated he would like to focus on quality, training & development, and improving the quality of life from roads to parks for islanders, not just visitors. "What's good for tourism," he declared, "is good for Arubans." Maintaining and continuing to grow the excellent collaboration between the private and the public sector here, will be his chief priority, he said.
Hotelier Alex Nieuwmeyer, President of the Board of Directors, warmly welcomed Pesquera to Aruba. Pesquera will be traveling on behalf of Aruba, he informed, drumming up business for the island, his first destination, Dublin for a large incentive conference, next week.
Pictured here Nieuwmeyer (left), Hord (right), and Pesquera at the conference at the Radisson.
