Background
Economy
- overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy,
with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The
rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in
a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has boomed,
with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the
reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of
employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth.
Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate have led to a large
number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in
recent years. The government's goal of balancing the budget within two
years will hamper expenditures, as will the decline in stopover tourist
arrivals following the 11 September terrorist attacks.
Discovered
and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636.
The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A
19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the
opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th
century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the
Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member
of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence
was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
Holidays
Jan 1 - New Year's Day
Jan 25 - Official Holiday in memory of GF Betico Croes
Mar 18 - National Anthem and Flag Day
Mar 25-28* - Easter
Apr 30 - Queen's Day
May 1 - Labour Day
May 5* - Ascension Day. Dec 25 - Christmas
Dec 26 - Boxing Day
Ps: These festivals' date(*) given above are approximations which are subject to change every new year.
Phone Codes
Country Code: 297
Outgoing International Code: 00
Resources
Market Research
CIA - The World Factbook - Aruba
This
website indicates a wide range of detail information about Aruba by
introducing under 8 different fields as its geography, people,
government, economy, communications, transportation, military,
transnational issues.
About Aruba
There
is available to find Aruba's general outlook on the issues of its
social and business profile, passport/visa, money, accommodation,
government, duty free, health and so forth.
Aruba Business Directory
This website offers business service on researching not only name of the companies but also business type in Aruba.
Aruba Business Information
It
represents a wide range of research on Aruban business by evaluating
it under sub-headings as currency, custom regulations, tipping, taxes
and so forth.
Business in Aruba
Kasbah.com
makes the list of the companies, organizations, resources which assist
to the potential investors for their business networks in Aruba.
Establishing a Business in Aruba
This website offers a guideline to indicate the procedures of establishing a business in Aruba for foreign investors.
Aruba Offshore Business Sectors
There
is available to get information about offshore business sectors in
Aruba which is a significant sector in terms of offering a range of
very attractive investment incentives.
Aruba Yellow Pages
It
is available to find out category-wise listings of business in Aruba,
including the companies' telephone numbers and postal addresses.
UK Trade & Investment - Aruba
UK
Trade & Investment is the Government organisation that supports
both UK companies trading internationally and overseas enterprises
seeking to locate in the UK.
OPIC Links - Investor's Information Gateway for Aruba
There
is available country database information links which are efficient for
the new investors planned to do business in Aruba including the contact
lists of the institutions, organization related to Aruban business.
U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs - For Aruba
U.S.
Bureau of Consular Affairs creates a wide range of research named as
Consular Information Sheet about Aruba in terms of analyzing its
social, political, cultural & economic environments.
The List of Aruban News Sites & Newspapers
There are listed the names of Aruban news sites and newsweeks which provide business, economic & political news in Aruba.
Trade Information
Aruba Foreign Investment Agency (AFIA)
The
main objective of AFIA is to inform foreign companies and investors
about the investment climate in Aruba by offering export consultancy
and technical assistance to investors.
The Aruba Chamber of Commerce & Industry
It
is the official website of Aruba Chamber of Commerce which serves to
promote the economic interests of commerce and industry in its
territory and to stimulate the activity and development of the business
community.
Embassy Listings For Aruba
There are listed the embassies of Aruba including the embassies' contact information.
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