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History and Economy of Aruba

History

The first European to set foot on Aruba was Alonso de Ojeda. This Spanish explorer landed on the Island in 1499. One of his first observations was that the remains he found belonging to the first settlers were considered to be larger than the average European of that day.

Long before the Spanish arrived, Caquetio Indians of the Arawak tribe settled on the Paraguana peninsula in Venezuela. Threatened by the Carib Indians who were extremely ferocious, they came to the Island of Aruba perhaps as long as 4000 years ago. Today, many names of towns and other geographical areas such as

Turibana, Guadirikiri, Camacuri, Andicuri and Bushiri, originate from the earliest Indian chiefs and warrior settlers.

With the arrival of the Spanish many of the Indian population were enslaved and relocated to Hispañola to work in mines. Despite this their fate was merciful when compared to Indian populations on other Caribbean Islands who were exterminated. In fact, the Island was spared the usual horrors of Spanish colonial policies.

Within three decades Aruba became an island with probably the highest standard of living in the West Indies. The illiteracy rate, for example, is exceptionally low. Today tourism has become the major factor in the island's economy with many major hotel chains setting up in Aruba. In just a few short years, Aruba has become one of the most popular vacation spots in the Caribbean, with visitor figures approaching a million annually.

Economy

In other words, the island has banked on tourism as its number one foreign income earner. The process has been successful; over the past 15 years Aruba has seen its tourism numbers increase steadily, and the government now derives nearly 30% of its income from tourism. Cruise ship arrivals, airline flights, and the construction of new hotels and today Aruba is one of the most popular destinations. The boom in arrivals created numerous hotels, many of them the high-rise, Miami Beach type, and of course a burst of growth in the numbers of restaurants and other facilities, including the casinos, around the island.