“The destination with the highest sales growth in Latin America. And this recognition goes to Aruba,” was announced Tuesday evening on stage during an event organized by Grupo Despegar at Cumbia House in Bogotá.
Ronella Croes, CEO of the Aruba Tourism Authority (A.T.A.), accompanied by Jordan Schlipken-Croes, Director of A.T.A. Latin America, accepted the award on behalf of the organization responsible for promoting and developing tourism in Aruba.
Strong Commercial Partnerships
The recognition reflects strong commercial collaboration with Despegar’s key partners, including well-known brands such as Viajes Falabella and HotelDo, among others.
The event gathered travel agencies across Latin America working with the Despegar group — more than 7,000 agencies — as well as leading hotel chains in Colombia and other strategic markets managed from Colombia, including Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina.
Approximately 10 awards were presented during a brief ceremony, recognizing two destinations, various hotels, and top-performing agencies. The event focused on strengthening commercial relationships with key partners.
ANATO Tourism Week
Despegar plays an essential role in the major tourism conference “Vitrina Turística,” organized by the Asociación Colombiana de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo (ANATO).
This year, ANATO took place from February 25 to 27 in Bogotá under the theme “Colombia abierta al mundo” (“Colombia open to the world”), hosting more than 1,600 exhibitors and around 10,000 daily participants.
“Aruba Ariba” A Moment of Pride
The surprise recognition was warmly received by Ronella Croes, who expressed gratitude to everyone who worked hard to position Aruba prominently and achieve such a distinction for the first time in history. She acknowledged both the A.T.A. Latin America team and the headquarters in Aruba, as well as all partners whose collaboration made the achievement possible.
Croes emphasized that Aruba stood out alongside countries such as Panama — widely considered a major tourism hub in Latin America. Yet Aruba, a small Caribbean island, achieved the highest growth and returned home with the top award.
To provide context, Despegar represents no less than 22% of all passengers arriving in Aruba from Latin America, making it a highly strategic partner.
“Proud”
The word most emphasized by Jordan Schlipken-Croes, Director of A.T.A. Latin America, was “proud.”
“We work with the intention of reaching our goals, but you never expect to receive recognition. Receiving an award is always special, but receiving one from a company valued at two billion U.S. dollars — the largest in Latin America — is truly a great honor for Aruba.”
He concluded by affirming that this moment represents pride for the entire A.T.A. team and for Aruba as a whole.
About Grupo Despegar
Grupo Despegar is the leading online travel agency in Latin America, with more than 25 years of experience and operations in over 20 countries, including a strong presence in Colombia.
Founded in 1999, Despegar has been a pioneer in the digitalization of tourism in the region. The company operates in Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Uruguay.
About Aruba Tourism Authority (A.T.A.)
The Aruba Tourism Authority was established on January 1, 2011, as an independent public organization. It functions as Aruba’s official Destination Marketing and Management Organization (DMMO), responsible for uniting local and international tourism interests.
A.T.A. strongly emphasizes its “High Value–Low Impact” model, aiming to balance economic value from visitors with sustainability. The goal is to increase tourism revenue through quality rather than quantity, positioning Aruba as a desirable and sustainable destination.
