Do you think that aruba is getting too much bad press???

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ArubaLisa

Too much bad press? Absoulutely, there is not a doubt in my mind. It is extremely easy to knock down a bully after you have given him two black eyes.
Compare http://www.foxnews.com/photo_essay/0,3927,902:1,00.html Photos of GVC's parents home (remember his father is the owner of a success security business on the island)- gee is that why the dogs and fence around the property?
http://www.foxnews.com/photo_essay/0,3927,910:1,00.html There are "behind the scene" photos of Aruba
Now can anyone please tell me any island in the entire Caribbean which did not have neighborhoods which look like this? I am going to St Lucia in December and have already been told to expect to see horrible horrible poverty and bring our hosts fresh apples (they are $6 each to purchase on the island).

I have spoken to friends on the island just this week and things are bad and getting worse. A restaurant on Wednesday night which should have had almost every table full, had every table available with the exception of two.

Heck, our family just had a fairly significant price reduction on a package we have booked for the fall. Supply and demand is the name of the game in Aruba and they are having trouble filling the hotel rooms. A small motel, not on the water, is offering stays for $60 a night normally $100. One of the resorts on the island is closing this month for a 2 year renovation so this will assist hotel occupancies a little bit.

Back to the Arubans though. They cow tow to fat cat Americans and this is the thanks they get. Do you really think the islanders want this to continue? Do people really think that this is a conspiracy amongst the Aruban people to keep the secret of this disappearance? Any ordinary Aruban would have spoken up a long long time ago knowing the damage that all of this bad publicity has done to their island.

Just as a matter of fact in the matter, Van der Sloot is Dutch not Aruban. His mother was in Amsterdam visiting family the night of the disappearance.

Why don't Americans boycott the Netherlands? Send your protests to Amsterdam! Enough Arubans already live in the Netherlands due to the lack of jobs on the island. Why not punish them too huh? The more the merrier as they say!

As this month goes on the bad press is only going to get much much worse. With the one year anniversary of the disappearance coming up I would bet you dollars to donuts that Rita, Nancy and Greta will all be on the island, reliving all of last years searching.

Just announced 5/15...
Larry King Live – CNN - Wednesday 05/17/06
1st Segment: Dave Holloway, Beth Twitty & John Q. Kelly, from New York
2nd Segment: Joe Tacopina, from New York
Time: 9:00 pm Eastern
——————————————————————————————-

On The Record w/Greta – Fox News – Wednesday 05/17/06
Dave Holloway to be Greta’s guest, from New York
Time: 10:00 pm Eastern
Replay: 3:00 am Eastern

Too bad it still not bring the girl back. Will they remind everyone that this girl was drinking alcohol and then went off with 3 strange men late at night? Will they ask her friends and chaperones why none of them did not stop her from going off with these strangers?

Frankly I am surprised, considering the number of flip, stupid replies to all of these Aruba questions on Yahoo, that these last couple of questions have not generated much more negativity. Cheap shots, just ripe for the taking!

IMHO, this woman is either:
1. buried in the sand on one of the numerous beaches, after all the island is 26 sq miles and has some significant amounts, although not all, powder white sand beaches.
2. possibly buried in the sand dunes at the California lighthouse, more probably the White Sand dunes. These dunes are in the middle of Arikok National Park but much less acessible by car and pretty much in the middle of "no where". The California dunes are probably only about 1 or 2 miles at the most from the neighborhoods of Malmok and the Tierra del Sol.
3. Much touted, but I highly highly doubt, she was sold into the sex slave trade. Remember this is what they say also happened to the young lady, Amy Bradley, who disappeared from a Royal Caribbean (gee there is that name again, have they had any others disappear? people are boycotting them also right?) that was enroute from Aruba to Curacao.

Just to review, Royal Caribbean has lost:

Jill Begora, was reported missing upon arrival in Nassau

George Smith was the chap who disappeared in Turkey

Amy Bradley, was reported missing in 1998, when her ship was enroute to Curaco from Aruba. She was last seen sleeping on the balcony of her family's cabin, but her family insists to this day that she was sold into the sex slave trade. There is no way she fell or jumped overboard.

Then of course, you also have this weeks news of a woman who was arrested in the US for having bad thoughts in a note about Ms. Holloway http://www.arubacentral.com/newspaper/today/May/B-11-05-2006.pdf see bottom of page 1

Here is an excellent article IMHO, which puts the whole situation into perspective.

Please keep us safe from paradise http://www.arubabound.com/article/paradise.htm

BTW, ArubaLisa enabled her contact button. Click on her avatar to get into her profile.

tech_fanatic

I definitely think they are getting too much bad press. Unfortunately, this is the way people are, but it isn't all at the fault of the news. We know that the news only reports about bad things, we don't often here when someone goes to Aruba and comes back safe, that isn't really news. So then, when people hear/see something bad on the news, then they automatically assume it is bad, without ever being there to actualy give an opinion.

The same thing has happened with cruises. Many people are afraid to cruise now because of the number of people that have gone missing. But what people don't apply to the situation is that the people that disappeared, that I have followed, were all suspected to have had numerous drinks and were not very alert in their surroundings. Any time you mix alcohol with a situation it will become dangerous. And, people don't think of how many people go missing in other destinations as well that you don't hear about. The same thing has also happened to Disney World. People on and off of answers are saying the rides are unsafe and after reading this articles you should be concerned to ride the rides, etc. But what they don't realize is that these people had medical conditions before they went on the rides, some aware of them, some not. The rides have warning signs, but if they are avoided, there isn't much Disney can do.

I completely agree with you though that Aruba has been given a lot of bad/unfair press. I think that before someone should comment on how good/bad a destination is, they should have experienced it themselves first.

wildstar_2

not if you're a responsible adule.

Angela

I think one incident has definitely given the island very bad press. Had something happened in the US, there would have been little attention given on what had happened. Statistically, Aruba is a very safe place, especially compared to how other countries are. Visitors need to be held accountable for their actions and realize that you can't do whatever you want when you visit places. You need to take the same precautions when you travel (meaning no going off with strangers in strange places). I like Aruba and would never let one rare incident change my decision to visit. I also think it's wrong that anyone try to influence others too avoid a place over press that they hear on the news. Media in general tends to be biased in making people believe their side of the story. Good journalism would accentuate how nice the island is and state how rare kidnappings and violence is, rather than hiding the obvious that the young woman probably had way too much to drink and her friends let her go off on her own.

old timer

it is not the island, nor the people...it is that "keystone kop" police department that is making the island look bad...

sherriroy2003

I AM GOING ON MY SIXTH VISIT TO ARUBA. IT IS SAFER THAN ANYWHERE IN AMERICA. NATALEE'S DEATH WAS THE FIRST TOURIST DEATH IN THEIR HISTORY. DUE TO YOUTH, INEXPERIENCE AND ALCOHOL. IT WAS A TRAGEDY- LET'S MOVE ON.

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