Positive impact on the growth of spending in Restaurants & Dining in Q2 2024

According to information from Visa credit cards, after the tourist arrives in Aruba and has already arranged their accommodation and flight, the principal spending during the vacation is allocated to the Restaurants & Dining category. It increased by 17.9% in Q2 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. A.T.A. monitors spending patterns based on various statistics, including those from Visa, MasterCard, surveys, and the Central Bank of Aruba.

A.T.A. is working towards a new era, focusing on improving and maintaining efforts to achieve balance according to the High Value-Low Impact model, which consists of four pillars: Quality of life for residents, Quality of visitor experience, Protection and preservation of nature and the environment, and Economic contribution to our island. The focus will be on attracting visitors who invest more (quality over quantity). At the same time, the aim is to attract conscious visitors who value and protect our cultural heritage, nature, land, water, people, and economy.

Statistics based on the latest updates in the tourism industry: 

The volume of stayover visitors showed an additional growth of 9.4% in July 2024 compared to July 2023. In light of the demand, airlines are also expected to continue expanding their capacity, allowing us to meet the demand. In July 2024, Aruba received a total of 123,437  stayover visitors, a growth of 9.4% compared to July 2023, which saw 112,874 “stayover” visitors.

Markets and accommodation categories:

In July 2024, 78.5% of stayover visitors to Aruba came from North America, 4.4% from Europe, 14.2% from Latin America, and 2.8% from other parts of the world. In July 2024, 25.7% of visitors stayed in European Plan hotels, 16.7% in All-Inclusive hotels, 25.5% in Timeshare accommodations, and 32.1% in other types of accommodation, also known as short-term vacation rentals.

Short-Term Vacation Rentals (STVR): 

A.T.A. has access to a platform that tracks the number of houses, apartments, and villas used as vacation rentals, as well as the average price per night, occupancy rates, and an estimate of the income these accommodations generate. In 2023, according to a study, A.T.A. was able to update the inventory of existing condominiums and those currently under construction, as well as an updated list of non-hotel accommodations available to tourists staying in Aruba for a short period.

Comparing July 2024 with July 2023, the average occupancy rate of these accommodations increased by 4.1%, from a 46.4% average in July 2023 to an average of 50.5% in July 2024. In terms of revenue, comparing July 2023 with July 2024, the category generated a revenue growth of 19.84%.
 

2024 (Year to Date): 
As of July 2024, Aruba has received 861,128  stayover visitors, representing a growth of 17.5% compared to July 2023, which saw 732,593  stayover visitors. Regarding markets, as of July 2024, 81.1% of visitors came from North America, 4.5% from Europe, 12% from Latin America, and 2.4% from other parts of the world.