The Mess in Aruba...

I know a little about tourist economies. The Island of Aruba has been in the news for the past three weeks. Yesterday the police arrested local judge, Peter Van Sloot, who is the father of the 17 year old Dutch youth being held in the missing persons case of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway. This make 5 locals arrested so far.Things couldn’t be worse for Aruba if the great white shark from "Jaws" took up permanent residence visibly offshore of the Island’s most popular beach.
There is a saying in PR that "it doesn’t matter what you say just get my name right"...not in this case. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that after the past two weeks the tourist business in Aruba is ruined for the foreseeable future, especially when local innkeepers are going to be keeping those reservation deposits from all those rooms which are being cancelled as I write this to meet their payrolls. And unless you own your own condo or timeshare unit there you won’t be going to Aruba any time soon. Too bad...unless Natalee herself turns up unharmed with some variation of "runaway bride" syndrome, Aruba’s tourist business is toast..