New image for Aruba

August 29, 2010 1:37 PM

Minister Otmar Oduber on the occasion of the launching of the new image of Aruba: "Let us all go out and show the entire world that Aruba truly is 'One Happy Island'".

A lot of work has been carried out for several months, and now the day has come that we will show each of you not only the new image of Aruba but also its significance, and what it entails for each of us living on this piece of rock", as Minister of Tourism Otmar Oduber began has speech on the occasion of the presentation of the new image at the office of Aruba Tourism Authority.

It concerns here the beginning of a very special process, not only for the tourism industry of Aruba but also for Aruba in general. The intention is not only to promote the country of Aruba abroad to attract tourists but also to show the importance of tourism to our entire country, as the economy of our island depends on it for almost 70%. The creation of a new image for Aruba forms part of the improvement of our Aruba product and goes hand in hand with the ongoing process of renovating and rejuvenating Downtown Oranjestad and our districts, based on the project called "Bo Aruba". Today we set in motion the launching of the new image that Aruba will present to the world in the month of September… an image that will be uniform for the first time. In this process, we want to involve the people of Aruba in such important decisions", the Minister continued to explain. At this moment, there is a budget of almost 40 million florins for tourism marketing, but, in the end, it is the experience of our visitors, their first impression of Aruba, their last impression of Aruba that will be decisive for us to continue improving the success our tourism industry is experiencing at this moment. Therefore, the involvement of each of us living in our island is very important. Last year, we already started the process of branding Aruba, and this initiative from the Department of Tourism, ATA, has found support in the vision of the Mike Eman Government to improve both the product and the service provision of Aruba. The Government is of the opinion that there should be question of uniformity and one image showing the world and Aruba what our product represents. Branding a destination is how the consumers, in this case the tourists, perceive the destination in their mind. Branding a destination is not only the creation of a logo or a slogan. It consists of capturing several elements of the destination in the trademark and communicating these elements through its components: identity… essence… personality… image…character, and culture. "In other words, the branding of Aruba consists of a combination of all attributes associated with our island in the form of one concept that expresses our unique identity and personality and differentiates us from our competitors. Branding is a promise to the consumer, an expectation of compliance, and a sign of integrity and reputation", according to Minister Otmar Oduber. The colors used have a specific meaning, and we will all be able to identity ourselves by means of these colors. The sense of pride plays a very important role in this entire development, the pride to be an Aruban! One of the elements of our flag, the star, can be identified in the new logo. It represents the people who have come from all corners of the world, and who have made our island their country, living together in harmony. This certainly is one of the largest strengths of our country. The diversity of cultures, the integration between these cultures, and how we are all living in harmony in our island makes Aruba a unique country in the world. The purpose of this new branding is not only to attract more high-end tourists to come to Aruba, but also to make us all feel proud of Aruba and its slogan "One Happy Island", so that we can contribute actively, individually, and collectively to the development of a prosperous community, which will benefit all of us. "Therefore, it is important for us all to feel that "One Happy Island" does not only refer to a good product but also to the people, it concerns all of us, and we can achieve this as a community. In this process, each of us should know that we can make the difference, that each individual is equally important, so that we can all be proud of our own contribution and feel proud of Aruba, and we can all set a good example. Let us all go out and show the entire world that Aruba truly is One Happy Island", as Minister Otmar Oduber ended his speech.

(Source: www.24ora.com)

20 August 2010