During our latest marketing meetings we have been discussing
the current state of our Islands infrastructure and how this affects tourism. More
and more we have been getting reactions from tourists that our Island is losing
its identity and becoming a destination just like everything else. We have the
same architecture, the same franchises etc.
The internationalization (Americanization) of our Island can
be considered both a good thing and a bad thing. Some people don’t like to find
things they can find back home and others appreciate the comforts provided that
are “just like home”. Fact is, we can’t change what we are right now. Problem
is that we could end up in a “blame game” pointing fingers at who is at fault
for letting our infrastructure develop into what we have now.
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| English: Logo for Esso (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The point I am trying to make is that we were looking at the
US as a target. A target for how we wanted to design our world (Island). Whatever we saw on TV or in the movies, was
something to aspire to and all local things became inferior or not worth it (in
our minds). I remember when I was a little kid, we would rent videos that were
just cartoons that were recorded via Satellite dish TV (by the few people who
had one). These videos included the
commercials, mostly of toys. And our desire for these toys grew and all the American brands such as
Mattel, Hot wheels, Tonka and Fisher Price became “wannahaves”. The same happened to our parents and ourselves
when we turned adults. At some point I remember how proud we were to be able to
tell a tourist that we have all the popular American fast food chains on the
Island. This made us modern, and we felt that we were part of the developed
world. We aspired to be like the US, and we made sure that our Island was
developed in just that way.
Currently a trend in tourism is “authenticity” and culture.
Tourists want to escape what they have at home and experience new things and
exotic cultures and locations. This puts us in a slight disadvantage, as we
have been building and designing our Island to be a kind of copy of Miami.
Funny thing is that through social media I am seeing that especially
my generation (30 -40 yrs.) is longing for originality, typical Aruban Nature,
architecture, products etc. And we are all now complaining about the “Americanization”
of our Island. Point is, we al wanted to be like that…..so we have only
ourselves to blame. And yes, I mean you, all of my fellow Islanders who used to
be brand conscious, and behaved like we were in a perpetual “saved by the bell”
kinda world or teens wearing sporting goods of US teams that we have never
heard of or seen playing and as if we were walking the streets of New York. Did
we not all want to go shopping once a year at all the Malls in Florida? Well, that’s
how we ended up with an Americanized Island.
So we should stop complaining and make sure that if we are
now into different things, such as local criollo and typical things, we just
have to do it. Restore your grandparents cunucu houses instead of building something
new, Start making pan bati instead of driving to Wendy’s drive through. Have a
beer at your local rum shop instead of going to South Beach. Teach your kids to
play marbles (kiniki) instead of taking them to watch cars, Toy story etc.
We are all responsible for what and where we are now. If we
want to change…..we just have to be that change.
