Downtown is full of tourists who arrived on one of the three cruise ships docked in the harbor of Oranjestad. Three cruise ships are docked today; Britannia, Celebrity Equinox and the Norwegian Epic. Together, they carry around 4.400 passengers aboard.
The impact of that many passengers on the downtown Oranjestad is positive for local commerce. Not only for shopping, but also restaurants see positive changes for their sales. The same counts for tour operators.
Aruba Ports Authority N.V. closed 2021 with a total of 136.000 cruise ship passengers which translates to just 16% compared to 2019, the record year for APA. In 2019, APA processed 831.000 passengers in the cruise terminal in Oranjestad.
When it was projected that 2022 would start off better, the pandemic had different plans with the Omicron variant. This translated to the cancellation of at least 15 cruise ships that had planned to visit Aruba.
In the coming months it is forecasted that by the end of April and beginning of May, most cruise ships will be fully operational again with a complete float and according to their schedule. It is expected that cruise ships will be fully operational by June. This means that cruise ships will be selling to full capacity at 100%. Now, cruise companies are only selling to a maximum capacity of 70% due to social distancing rules and other measures to prevent infections aboard.
The Aruba Ports Authority has existed now for over 40 years. They work hard and are in constant contact with the most important cruise companies to ensure Aruba’s spot in their itinerary.
The role of the industry is important for our island. This was proven the past two years when their absence was felt. The industry benefits many small businesses that have felt the impact of the pandemic when cruise ships stopped visiting the island.
