A.T.A. Update: Adapting to the New Normal

Dear Partners,

Today marks one month since Aruba made the difficult but necessary decision to close our borders in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. Together, we are all feeling the incredible effects the pandemic has had on the travel industry, our economy, and the lives we all lead. As we navigate these uncharted waters, I wanted to personally reach out to say that the Aruba Tourism Authority remains fully committed to supporting our work together.

Action To Date

As part of the national crisis team, we have been primarily focused on handling this health outbreak together with the respective authorities. This includes crisis communications and protecting the reputation of Aruba. We have also taken the necessary measures to safeguard the A.T.A. organization on a financial and human resources level.

The pandemic’s global reach has required us to shift gears from a cross-channel marketing campaign to limited messaging through only social, PR and email marketing.

As a result, we’ve implemented a COVID-19 global digital strategy to transform Aruba’s social channels from a place that inspires bookings to a community that lifts people’s spirits and shows how we can be #TogetherWhileApart and that happiness will prevail. Aruba’s owned channels (Social, ECRM, YouTube, Aruba.com and the Forum) now provide content that uplifts and offers a healthy distraction with “moments of happiness” that keep us connected to our returners and fans, keeps Aruba top-of-mind, and adds a little joy to the world.

What Comes Next

While the timeline remains unclear, we do know Aruba will open back up for business. As tourism is the lifeline of our economy, A.T.A. will continue to play an integral part of the Economic Recovery process, which is being highly prioritized.

We must challenge ourselves to prepare to hit the ground running in order to rebuild our visitor base and ensure tourism dollars flow back into our economy. We are also launching specific programs to ensure future travelers trust and feel safe visiting Aruba. A new program focused on advanced hygiene and sanitation protocols to address COVID-19 concerns will be introduced. Additionally, Aruba Certification Program free online courses, focusing on tourism service and product knowledge, are currently available.

Together with our industry partners, we’ve developed our Tourism Recovery Marketing Plan (TRMP). This plan represents opportunities surrounding various scenarios and what we can achieve together, as sheltering in place orders around the world lift and our borders reopen. However our future unfolds, it is crucial that we rebuild our brand to stimulate demand and attract high-value visitors.

Helping Our Partners

Working closely with you, our partners, is our priority. To help prepare for the road ahead, we’ll be presenting a series of webinars over the coming weeks dedicated to providing crisis and recovery plan updates, an outline of our global marketing strategy and actions adopted so far, as well as proactive opportunities. One of our sessions will be hosted by our airport partner, the Aruba Airport Authority, to provide the latest update on air service developments. (Recordings of each webinar will be shared for anyone who cannot attend.)

We're All In This Together

Now, more than ever, we appreciate your tireless efforts as we work together to see that Aruba comes back stronger than ever -- this would not be possible without you. I am truly grateful for your unwavering support and dedication. Please reach out if you have any questions and enjoy '30 Minutes of Happiness'.

Echoing the message of the team, happiness will prevail,

 

 

Sincerely,

Ronella Tjin Asjoe-Croes
CEO, Aruba Tourism Authority