Sometimes governments accidentally tell us what’s coming.

Last week, some owners and managers of short-term vacation rentals (STRs) across Aruba noticed that a new page had quietly appeared on the Department of Economic Affairs (DEASI) website. It announced the introduction of an official STR Registration System, with registration opening August 1 and becoming mandatory by February 1, 2027. Every rental unit would receive its own official registration number, and operators would have six months to comply with the new requirements before enforcement would begin. There was even a voluntary tax amnesty for owners who had not previously reported tourist taxes or rental income.

Then, just as suddenly, the webpage disappeared before the August 1st registration start date.

Whether it went live by mistake or someone simply jumped the gun, one thing seems clear: Aruba is about to fundamentally change how short-term rentals are regulated.

And I believe that’s good news.

Registration isn’t the problem.

Let’s start with something that may surprise people. Most stakeholders – major STR management companies, AHATA, ATA, and the government agree that Aruba needs an official registration system for short-term rentals. Aruba needs to get a handle on our free-for-all STR sector.

Today, nobody knows exactly how many vacation rentals operate on the island. Estimates exceed 6,000 units. Perhaps more importantly we don’t know who owns and operates those units or which operators are – and aren’t – paying their tourist levies and income taxes. We don’t have one reliable database. And visitors have no easy way of knowing whether the property they’re renting is operating legally.

That’s not good for anyone.

A well-designed registration system can create transparency, improve safety, level the playing field, and ensure everyone pays their fair share.

The government’s own objectives—legal compliance, transparency, fair competition, quality standards, and proper tax collection—are exactly the right goals.

We shouldn’t be arguing whether Aruba should regulate short-term rentals. Instead, we should be discussing how.

Registration or permission?

Perhaps the single biggest question facing STR owners is, is this a registration system, or is it effectively a licensing system?

There is a big difference between the two. Registration says: Tell us who you are. Licensing says: Ask permission before you operate. The government’s webpage did not fully answer that question, and the distinction matters enormously.

If someone has owned and legally operated a vacation rental for years, will registration simply bring them into one transparent system? Or could registration become a mechanism to deny existing operators the ability to continue renting?

Those are two very different policies with very different consequences.

Keep it simple.

If Aruba wants high compliance, the system must be easy.

A retiree renting a small apartment behind their home should be able to complete the process without hiring consultants or lawyers. A management company overseeing fifty properties shouldn’t have to visit five government departments.

The easier compliance becomes, the higher compliance will be. The more complicated the process becomes, the larger the gray market will remain.

Government should design this system with one goal in mind: Make it easier to comply than to avoid.

The questions that matter

As encouraging as this proposal is, there are still important questions that deserve clear answers before the program officially launches.

The government should be prepared to answer these questions when the program officially launches. And if the government isn’t clear on the answers, then it should hold open hearings with stakeholders and interested parties before finalizing – like it did with the ROPV. Because this impacts a large part of our economy, and the details of the program determine whether this program succeeds or fails.

Don’t punish yesterday’s decisions.

Government has every right to establish new rules going forward. However, fairness of those rules is essential.

Thousands of Arubans have made investment decisions based on the rules that existed at the time. Many purchased houses, borrowed money, started small businesses.

Many former hourly employees at hotels, contractors, and other companies took the leap and became entrepreneurs maintaining pools and gardens, cleaning properties, managing vacation homes, or providing services like private chefs and massage therapists that didn’t exist twenty years ago. The growth of the STR market has spread tourism income far beyond the traditional hotel sector, and that’s a good thing for our economy.

Perhaps the greatest contribution of the STR industry is that it democratized tourism. Thousands of ordinary Arubans – not just large hotel companies – now participate directly in our visitor economy.

If Aruba decides its future growth should be managed differently, that’s a legitimate discussion. But changing the rules for tomorrow is very different from changing the rules for people who relied on yesterday’s.

An opportunity to lead

If the government’s real goal for this initiative is visibility of the sector, fairness, safety, and tax compliance, the program could be a tremendous success.

But if registration becomes a back door to eliminating existing vacation rentals through bureaucracy, licensing, or changing the rules after people have already invested, the economic consequences will be enormous. It could discourage investment, push operators back into the gray market, reduce tax compliance instead of improving it, hurt thousands of small entrepreneurs, and weaken one of the fastest-growing segments of Aruba’s tourism economy.

Before this program launches, the government owes Aruba a clear answer: Is this a registration system designed to improve transparency, safety, and tax compliance—or is it the first step toward reducing the number of vacation rentals on the island?

About the author: Tony van Veen is an entrepreneur, CEO, and self-described opinionated Aruban. After graduating from Colegio Arubano he spent nearly 40 years building businesses in the US while remaining closely connected to Aruba. In this occasional Bati Bleki guest column series Aruba at a Tipping Point he explores topics that will shape Aruba’s future.

Saturday night, San Nicolas hosted Street Food & Beats, combining diverse street-food stations with live music, and local artisans stands. The event built on the success of earlier San Nicolas Food Truck Festivals, organized annually by Harambre & Vibration PR.

Food stations were set up around main street and Kulture Plaza, and the admission was free. The evening was entertained by live music with Carlos Bislip Jazz Trio, Tipico Criollo and Grove Masters. Emceed by the ever-charming Leonardo Philips.

We found a mix of Aruban, Caribbean, Latin American, and international favorites reflecting Aruba’s multicultural heritage. Shoppers were pleased to find crafts and artisanal products on display by popular vendors.

The Street Food & Beats Aruba was a local event, with just a sprinkle of visitors, supporting the island’s entrepreneurs, creating a fun Saturday night in San Nicolas.

The fourth edition of Streat Food & Beats was very well attended. It is by now one of the island’s most enjoyable community events, not only for the food, but also networking, see and be seen, in the relaxed and gesellig atmosphere true to the island’s character.

Maria & Elton Hart, with the Vibrations PR team walked around promoting assorted products by event sponsors. Their kids recommended the herbal and green teas by Badia Spices. Based on their recommendation I accepted the free Hibiscus Lime pack to go.

Most unforgettable, Mondi Replika, offering a five-course vegan meal, in an improvised tent across from O’Neil Caribbean restaurant. The low table setting, featured Sabor di Tera, food by Velvet Zoe Ramos, Petite Greens orchestrated by Diamantha Kock, of Mondi Replika. The installation also offered a Mondi Box, 100% local harvest, island spices, peppered by some ancient hand washing ritual and a sense of community, sitting together at a low table, on the sidewalk, taking a momentary break from the ordinary. I regretted having my mind set on a Smash Burger by Cookout, otherwise….

More vendors: Baby Back Grill, Charjams Jerk House, Poffertjes by Pofferdorie, Amuse Private Chef & Catering, Ruiz Take Away, Cuchina di Marelva, Grace Churros, Mama Lina, Cuchina di Tucu, Keda Keto Ice-cream, Mr. Beans Coffee & Tea.

Most delicious Mojitos at Moji, nicely spiked and frozen, not too sweet, I am ready to have another at any time.

Pork-No-Grafix Low & Slow BBQ, Craft Beer Lovers Aruba, Lu Sweet Delights.

Coco Chicharrón, delicious coconut brittle, smoky and sweet, just Awg 5 for the container.

Mi Lamunchi, their lemonade was made to order, worth waiting for, in a giant tub, a week’s worth supply of vitamin C.

Fruity Spritz, Cary Cookies, Paula Bracelets, Boli’s Chupamelo, Robert’s Smoke Pit.

And….Cookout by Green Fish. The popular chef-manned stand offered two delicious menu items, pulled pork sandwiches and smashed burgers. I had the later, with caramelized onions, delicious at every bite.

At Kulture Café, we had some Pico Bello Ice-Cream, Rum Raisin and Stracciatella, my favorites.

O’Neil’s lounge, my friends report it was a great spot for an extra hour!

Andres Accessories, Maira Design, Shirley’s Secret Accessories, Toko San Nicolas, Milise Accessories.

I visited them all!

Thank you sponsors Hot Wheels Aruba, selling miniature cars, Frasa International & Martijn Trading; Thank you vendors. You delivered a most enjoyable evening.

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/welcome-to-monday-2/

I renewed my Driver’s License

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/i-renewed-my-drivers-license/

Save and Plan for your Future Retirement

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/save-and-plan-for-your-future-retirement/

In Appreciation of the Work Done by the Aruba Marine Mammal Foundation

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/in-appreciation-of-the-work-done-by-the-aruba-marine-mammal-foundation-ammf/

An Interim report on AWSS

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/an-interim-report-on-awss/

The Best not the Busiest

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-best-not-the-busiest/

A recent ATA report presented the results of a survey in which ATA assures us that cruise passengers are now spending more on the island.

My friends think ATA is feeling the heat, public pressure to reduce the heavy cruise volume. And that is why they decided to spring the lukewarm news that cruise passengers are now spending $197 per person, instead of the previous $187, or some similarly ridiculously low amount. It is obvious that there are few benefits to the island from the heavy traffic while the cruise industry rakes in billions.

For comparison: Average daily spending, per Visa cardholders Q1 2026, USD$ 672.

Increased number of locals are saying get out of the cruise business, not completely, but you must alleviate the pressure on our beaches, and reduce downtown congestion. We must reserve the few attractions we have to the five to seven-nighters who pay full rate at the resorts. Remember that stay-over visitors contribute significantly more to Aruba’s economy than cruise passengers. Nevertheless, the number of ship calls and passengers is growing, along with ship sizes.

(June 2025 to June 2026: Cruise passenger arrivals rose to 551,168 across 213 calls, up from 514,850 across 197 calls a year earlier.)

At the heart of the discussion, Aruba must shift paradigm and NOT measure the success of its cruise industry by the number of passengers arriving, but by the economic value generated for the island, the quality of the visitor experience, and the impact on residents and the environment.

That also applies to tourism in general. Stop telling us how many arrived on the island. Report the economic value, the level of spending and how greatly visitors support local businesses and products.

We have said it before, decide what the optimal number of cruise passengers Aruba can comfortably accommodate and make it your goal to achieve that number. NOT the maximum number of guests but the optimal number, based on our infrastructure, availability of transportation, AND the quality of life of the island’s residents.

(We should invite the ministers to drive through the Malmok neighborhood anytime, they would be appalled at the level of noisy chaos suffered by the locals, on any given day.)

In the previous tourism policy draft, there was a mention of moving the cruise ship terminal to San Nicolas. It is a thought, a MOST impractical one. The cost of turning San Nicolas into a cruise tourism day-tripping destination is exorbitant. We will have to spend billions to get San Nicolas ready for the invasion of 5,000 pleasure-seekers a day.

My friends suggest that Aruba should position itself as one of the Caribbean’s highest-quality cruise destinations rather than one of the busiest.