The Aruba Tourism Authority recently announced a major shift in direction. For 2027, ATA wants to limit growth in stay-over tourism to about 1.4 percent and focus more on visitors who generate greater economic value. For cruise tourism, the objective is also to increase spending per visitor while limiting volume.

The direction makes sense. Aruba cannot continue measuring tourism success simply by counting ever more visitors. But announcing a target raises a more difficult question: how will the 1.4 percent actually be achieved?

ATA has explained part of the strategy. It intends to target higher-income travelers, improve market segmentation, diversify source markets, and encourage more premium airline seats. Those are legitimate tools for influencing the type of visitor Aruba attracts. But influencing demand is not the same as controlling how many people ultimately arrive.

ATA is officially Aruba’s Destination Marketing and Management Organization, so its responsibilities extend beyond advertising. It coordinates tourism interests, destination development, and partnerships. Nevertheless, ATA does not operate the airport or seaport, so it does not by itself control how many visitors Aruba ultimately receives.

Consider the airport. Aruba Airport Authority actively develops air connectivity while continuing its Gateway 2030 expansion. The project was designed to modernize and expand the airport, and airport charges form part of the financing structure supporting the investment and debt service. There is nothing wrong with improving Aruba’s airport. But it illustrates the institutional problem: ATA is trying to slow tourism growth at the same time that other parts of the tourism system have invested heavily in expanding capacity and air connectivity. The question is whether these different objectives are actually being coordinated at the national level.

The same question applies to cruise tourism. APA manages Aruba’s cruise ports and promotes and develops cruise tourism. At the same time, ATA’s objective for cruise tourism is to increase spending per visitor while limiting volume. The coming high season illustrates the scale of the challenge. APA’s current provisional schedules show 51 cruise calls in November and 65 in December 2026. These schedules can still change, but the numbers demonstrate the size of the cruise flow arriving alongside Aruba’s peak stay-over season. The question again is not whether APA is doing anything wrong, but how cruise-port planning is coordinated with ATA’s objective of moderating tourism growth.

Then there are the hotels. International brands and individual properties have their own sales organizations, loyalty programs, distribution networks, and revenue objectives. Their commercial responsibility is understandably to fill their available rooms profitably. Hotels can try to improve returns by increasing rates rather than simply pursuing more volume, but only to a point. Aruba still competes with other destinations in the region, and room rates must remain competitive. For that reason, individual hotels cannot realistically be expected to serve as Aruba’s mechanism for limiting national tourism growth.

Short-term vacation rentals make the equation even more difficult. Unlike a major hotel development, tourism capacity can keep expanding as existing homes, apartments, and condominiums enter the vacation-rental market, adding visitor capacity outside the traditional hotel sector.

This is the real challenge behind the 1.4 percent target. These are not separate pressures. They form reinforcing loops. More accommodation creates pressure for more visitors. More visitors support more airlift and infrastructure, and that expanded capacity creates pressure to keep the system operating at higher volumes. ATA, AAA, APA, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, vacation rentals, and government may each act logically within their own mandate, yet together the system keeps pushing toward growth. Everyone controls a piece, but no one controls the whole.

So the question is not whether 1.4 percent is a good objective. The more important question is whether it is an ATA marketing target or a national tourism-growth target.

If it is truly a national target, Aruba still needs to explain what mechanism will keep growth near 1.4 percent, how airport and cruise development plans and investments will align with it, how accommodation growth will be managed, and which institution will coordinate these separate interests.

ATA can influence who comes to Aruba and what type of visitor it attracts. But marketing alone cannot restrain a tourism system whose capacity and commercial incentives continue to point toward growth. If 1.4 percent is truly a national target, someone must have both the authority and the tools to coordinate the brake.

Over 100 artists, local and international presented paintings, murals, installations, and other contemporary artworks, September 11–13, 2026, in San Nicolas. This year’s edition of the popular fair was themed Nature × Mankind, addressed the relationship between people and the natural world, sustainability, coexistence, and humanity’s impact on the environment.

This is the second of a two-part blog.

The Murals

The Caribbean biggest outdoor gallery, San Nicolas, just added several new murals to its collection. First and foremost Chemis, from the Czech Republic. According to organizer Tito Bolivar, No Chemis, No Art Fair. The man has created a great number of lifelike beauties and this time he worked on two stunning panels, across the street from Oneil’s Caribbean Kitchen dedicated to Calypso music. I can’t wait to see them finished. We met Chemis, having a beer on the sidewalk during the art fair, he is super friendly besides being ultra talented.

A giant work by street artist Carlos Albertos, from Mexico, on the back wall of the Police barrack, depicts Aruba’s beauty with corals, fish and a lovely young girl holding a conch shell. The wall had to be treated to ready it for the masterpiece in vivid colors and deep contrasts. Windows had to be blocked, surface smoothed and primed. It was all worth it.

Across Tropical Bottling a new mural of prickichis, two loving local green & yellow parrots by street artist Alessandro Etsom, from Italy, their leaflike wing feathers reflect our local vegetation.

Much-appreciated muralist, from Aruba, Robby “Ice” Solognier gave us a 3D sea turtle across from the 3D postcard greeting. Just spectacular, it jumps off the wall. He’s been a repeat featured artist of the Art Fair.

Also notable a collaboration of father & son, both excellent muralist with different styles, son leading the project. Garrick Marchena & Darrick da Silva blended realism with surrealism to create a breathtaking piece, on the side of the most decorated Police station on the planet.

There are more, but the Art Fair’s weakest link is supplying adequate and complete info. We forgive them, it creates an opportunity for you to go explore and find out on your own.

ArtTable

This was a most perfect evening, as main street was set up for about 100 amateur painters invited to explore the Nature x Mankind theme, under guidance from Alejandra Vallejo, driftwood and mixed-media artist, Elvis Tromp, painter/muralist, Peter van den Heuvel, portrait, realist/surreal painter and Jean Cherouny wearing two hats, that of organizer and another of artistic guide. We doodled and sipped fine selections of Prosecco and wines, courtesy of Romar Trading, chased by delicious bites by Dining Memories.  This was the 3rd annual ArtTable, remember to sign up next year. Our neighbors included Suelyn Dankerlui, Annemiek v/d Vlient and Carla Cavallaro produced beautiful work.

ArtFashion

The popular event received a revolutionary twist. It unfolded at Groto di Lourdes. I understand the Catholic Church of Aruba was less than happy about it, but that is not the first time a religious organization complains about insufficient oversight and declares future precaution. One of the Fathers apologized on behalf of the church for its lack of caution and described the incident as a warning for everyone. But the church also made it clear, it supports the arts and upholds culture with a spiritual focus.

Humble opinion: The spectacular location took away from the intimate, in your face feel of the fashion show in previous years, where the runway lay alongside the chairs. I enjoyed the show on Theaterstraat, on the Café Kultura square and on the plaza around Lolita in previous years, as a more intimate exploration of fashion. The Groto Di Lourdes coral walls were dramatically, but insufficiently bright for good iphone photos. My pictures were dull, and the makeup and hair details were lost! Besides, I was anxious, which model on high heels loses her balance on the stone terraces and falls. None did.

Designer Ronchi de Cuba gave his models comfortable shoes, and I applauded him for that besides dressing them in comfortable resort fashions, made of new fabric, spun from 100% recycled plastic. We also enjoyed a collection by 9 locals aspiring fashion designers, Art Explosion, guided by Andrew Steba, of Mondi Mistico fame. The kids, 12-17 have a sense of style. Kudos to the genius that introduce fashion as an afterschool activity.

Peter Adrian couture, a collaboration between two designers, from the Dominican, Peter Marin, and Adrian Rodriguez yielded spectacular gala dresses with cinched waists and balloon skirts, shimmering trains, ostrich feathers, rhinestones, sequence, appliques, in bold colors, with accentuated bust lines and long legs. I would have loved to see that collection in a well-lit location up close.

The first half of the show wrapped up with Celeste Richardson from Aruba, presenting Imperial design, a line of clothing inspired by the Caribbean and showed off to fantastic music and cool dance moves.

We missed Alyda Wever’s show, Prenda. I hear it was spectacular!

The Aruba Art Fair 2026, streetside.

The fair was held for three evenings, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. It was the centerpiece of the wider Art Week Aruba program. Three evenings of exhibitions, galleries, installations, performances, and food in San Nicolas.

The evenings were blessed by dozens of worthy creatives. I got to speak to many of them, most of them professionals who decided to pick up a hobby and find an outlet for their creativity, giving the right side of their brain an opportunity to collaborate with their analytical skills.

Julie Wever, Carolien Hodge, both surprised me with the extent of their excellent work. I did not know they were so artistic. While we knew businessman Ellsworth Henriquez is creative, we did not know to what degree. Kudos. The amazing Lyanne Monnikhof and the cerebral Michelle Portier. The sensational Paul Wong, and glass artist Deborah de Weerd. I especially enjoyed meeting Silke Te Riet Scholten and her whimsical sea glass people.

The Aruba Art Fair is the island’s leading contemporary art events, bringing together local and international artists, exhibitions, and creative projects. The 2026 edition was particularly interesting for its variety, bringing a new wave of works and artists to light.

The Nature x Mankind theme gave the fair a strong environmental and cultural angle, making it especially relevant to Aruba’s wider conversation about sustainability and the relationship between tourism, nature, and the community.

This is a relevant topic for anybody interested in the cost of living on the ABC islands where so much of our essential daily needs are imported by ocean freight from abroad. The ABC islands, in the Southern portion of the Caribbean represent a longer and more expensive ocean freight loop, than for example the Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St. Maarten, Miami loops.

I once drove a diesel car, Hyundai Santa Fe, it felt study and undefeated, a giant, running on Awg 1, per liter.

I bought it at the time, because it was cheap to fuel, and my environmental education was incomplete.

Anyway, that was at least 21 years ago.

What happened to diesel oil prices in 2026. Why has diesel oil become so expensive?

My friends in the know tell me that for the cost of living on the ABC islands the price of diesel oil is a very major determinant.

Most of us already know that Venezuelan crude oils are fantastically suited to produce diesel, they are heavy and sticky. Most U.S. shale crude oils are not suitable, neither is the crude flowing out from Guyana. But Venezuela is perfectly positioned to supply the world with gook, but the shortage plays into the geopolitical situation, and as a result diesel oil is in short supply worldwide.

Good news, Kerosene, aviation fuel supply is steady, and the Gasoline supply OK, but diesel oil is scarce everywhere in the world including in Russia and China.

UNFORTUNATELY, diesel oil supply determines the islands’ cost of living, as a very major determinant.

WHY? Diesel oil is by far the most important inland and ocean-based freight fuel, also still very important in electric power generation in many markets. My experts don’t think renewable energies have managed to make a dent in inland and ocean-based freight energy requirements.

According to them, diesel oil prices are influenced by several factors, and the cost of crude oil is only part of the story. Diesel is a refined fuel used by trucks, ships, construction equipment, generators, and many other industries. When the cost of producing or transporting it rises, consumers and businesses feel the impact.

The conflicts in the Middle East have disrupted oil production, refineries, and shipping routes. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil transportation, has faced serious disruption. Russia’s reduced diesel exports have also tightened the international market. Consequently, while crude oil is available, the world is short of finished diesel oil that comes out of refineries. Why? Armed conflict damages? Maintenance issues? The Weather?

While diesel oil production is low, the demand is high because it is essential for transporting food and other goods, agriculture, construction, and shipping. The demand was supposed to reduce with renewable energy, but that did not happen. As supplies become tighter, buyers compete for the available fuel, pushing prices higher.

I understand that while diesel is chemically simpler to produce, the refining process is more intensive due to the need for modern fuel standards, so combine the geopolitical tensions, disrupted supplies, limited refining capacity, and strong demand, and voila, you got to pay almost Awg 2.90 at the pump, almost as much as gasoline. And it seems that it will stay that way for a while, until refineries recover, and supplies replenished.

($6 a gallon in the USA, $6.50 here)

Aruba should be proud of the 9th annual Art Fair – it was a spectacular week of events and exhibitions. Especially surprising the number of artists and artisans taking part, most of the women.

Up until the 80s, we only had male artists, nowadays, specifically, after the global pandemic, more women find time to develop and practice an artistic expression.

Note to the gods of creativity: about sculpture. Only few artists presented sculptures, the brilliant Ad Rekkers among them. with mini black & white figurines, in his booth on main street. Ceramics also tackled small sculptures, namely Helen Hoes, showing her outstanding coral ceramics and fossilized works, in sculptures and wall art at Artisa Gallery. This is a job opportunity: Aruba needs a resident sculptor to open a studio and teach.

The theme of the Art Fair, Nature × Mankind, called for an exploration of the relationship between people and the natural world, considering sustainability, coexistence, and humanity’s impact on the environment.

Two of the Contemporary Art locations, the library and the old Hulpbestuurkantoor, placed that relationship front and center. The galleries and booths on the street related mostly to the beauty of nature handling the clash lightly.

Exploring the tension between Nature & Mankind, Pensioni Crastino & Studio Possible Future, Natalie Bisse, and Buus de Hoop with “An exploration into the heart of Spaans Lagoon.” The public was asked to walk slowly, in a gauntlet of dry leaves, funky smells, and rocks, to reflect upon being in the world. I could not find anything about these artists, anywhere, so the best I can do is guess their gardens are squeaky clean, as they collected all the debris for their installation. On the upper floor Ruben Alexani Matevosyan delivered a very esoteric display, I was not the only one to understand nothing.

The library on the other hand had a CHILLING installation by artist “Tinkerbell” about the mess at Isla Refinery. The artist also displayed several of her paintings, painted in oil. In her video, the old Shell refinery is a dump, with an asphalt lake. Tinkerbell draws attention to pollution, and poisoning of the world by video, paintings, and a newspaper.

Stan Kuiperi presented a thought-provoking study of our sand, White Gold, he calls it, taken from several beaches. He contemplates the Man VS Sand effect and asks us where Aruba would be without its beaches, among other relevant questions. It is visibly noticeable that our sugar fine white sand yellows the more it meets humanity. Stan pledged to return his sand to where it came from.

An impressive corner of the library exhibit was dedicated to Perpectiva Invisibel photographs taken by FAVI clients, people with limited or impaired vision. The initiative teaches photography through touch, sound, lights, and partial memory, rather than sight. Powerful.

Artist Andre Henderson was painting, live, an oversize panel, at the entrance to the library depicting a scene from the transport of an African across the ocean in a Portuguese galleon, to become a trade commodity in the Americas. The man in the design is struggling to hold on to the mast, having been thrown overboard to drown in the ocean. Henderson worked on his Nature x Mankind canvas during both Art Fair nights.

Artisa Gallery

Artisa displayed a rich variety of established and new artists. One of the earliest local female artists, Belinda de Veer, showed an evocative three-piece mixed media work, titled I Got My Mind Set. She has been introspective and enigmatic throughout her career. Peter Van Den Heuvel’s work depicts his unbridled dreams. There is always a deep and moving message behind his whimsical and delightful compositions. Vanessa Paulina’s canvases are beyond charming. The curly kid hugging the chicken, Friend are Not Food, is captivating and moving, the essence of the Art Fair message. An entire wall is dedicated to Armando Goedgedrag, with his signature local flora and fauna coming to life under his brushes. I believe we saw Indra Zievinger’s biggest Art Fair collection to date, she is a multi-colorist, with a lush outlook on nature. I do not remember in which gallery I saw the works of Yahaira Maduro and Erica Moran both bold, colorful powerhouses, Erica more realistic than Yahaira, but equally impactful. Natascha de la Fuente trapped a crab in a discarded Heineken can, on the beach, perfectly presenting the Art Fair’s theme.

Gallery 21

Jean Cherouny’s work is on display up the street at the gallery housing art and artesania. Her work focuses on color and movement. She is a prolific rollerblade painter, also immensely helpful at the Artisa foundation, helping to set up events and exhibitions, on team Bolivar.

It looked like Armando had some competition in the form of a younger equally talented Goedgedrag. Sylvanio’s work is more focused on people. Also at the gallery Diana Hopman Betjes’ lyrical, delicate collages reusing old maps, stamps, and atlases to create irresistible pieces. Rani Varde’s ceramic vases and bowls, Anita Hugen woman in green foliage, Alejandra Vellejo’s mixed media driftwood, and Donna Lee Oduber Lejuez’s mosaic and millefiori are all stunning. Donna also had a booth on the main street with some more of her magical pieces. She is a former photographer turned super-crafter. Carmen Mesa Restrepo ingenious local 3D photo-framed-landscapes celebrate the old and new contrasts around us.

I visited on Saturday; the place was buzzing. The Art Fair did not reach visitors, but the local responded nicely. We had a delicious Astoria Prosecco and a freshly fried Johnny Cake, there was music and dancing at every twist and turn.

Kudos to the organization. With more than 100 participants I may have left some out, but more tomorrow.

The First International Burrowing Owl Conservation Conference, unfolded last week at Joia by Iberostar on Eagle Beach.

The conference was organized by Aruba Birdlife Conservation, ABC, in collaboration with the resort. It brought together international researchers, conservationists, educators, tourism-sector stakeholders, and ZERO GOA representatives.

The Prime Minister of Aruba withdrew his ceremonial opening role, under pressure from the ATV/UTV groups who are in open dispute with the conservationists.

The four-day gathering included guests from the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, India, and Aruba. The first three days focused on presentations and discussions while the last day included field activities.

The conference focused on scientific research and practical conservation of burrowing owls, with particular attention to Aruba’s shoco.

By now you know that the shoco, Aruba’s endemic burrowing owl, Athene Cunicularia Arubensis, is one of the island’s most distinctive and vulnerable native species. The conference dedicated to the owl was particularly relevant to Aruba’s conservation efforts, especially because its habitat is under pressure from development.

The day I visited, the conference was showing an unedited documentary, raw footage from an artificial burrow located at Happy Cadushi Nature Reserve, an undisclosed location. The documentary, really a docu-drama, was six years in the making, showing footage never seen before from a shoco cam.

The footage showed several pairs, over time, and their immense efforts to raise a family faced by many challenges, from free roaming cats, wara waras, boas and mite infestations.

We held our breath: will papa owl hunt enough to provide mama owl with sufficient kill to feed the babies?

The presentation reviewed the challenging process of setting the shoco cam up, by a technically inclined man who devoted six years to babysitting the screen monitoring the burrow, preventing disaster, repeatedly. Based on that experience, the burrows now have an alternative escape route, to fend against incoming snakes.

You could hear a pin drop in the room.

All eyes were on the screen, and the survival of the fittest.

Birds on the island struggle with loss of habitat and nesting areas through urban development; They suffer vehicle strikes; and struggle to survive free-roaming dogs and cats, random poisoning and in general human disturbances.

Correct me if I am wrong, but reports estimate that approximately 200 breeding pairs remain on the island. Iberostar properties, both Joia Resort and Tierra del Sol Golf Course, contributed to that and their involvement goes beyond providing a conference venue. The resort has been developing a biodiversity and responsible-tourism program in partnership with ABC. I became a shoco ambassador by attention a workshop at the resort and I appreciate their Shoco Boulevard, home of shoco pirata.

The International School of Aruba and the Marriott Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino are also hosting artificial burrows on their properties.