Derecho del Turismo en las Américas

Timesharing in Aruba Allan Kuster 1 Aruba is located outside the hurricane belt, which makes it a good vacation option during hurricane season. It is known for its year‑around almost perfect weather, with winds blowing constantly (95% of the time) from the Northeast and the East 2 . Aside from its weather, Aruba is known for its extremely cordial and service‑minded people, fine dining, casinos and breathtaking white beaches combined with crystal clear waters. So it is no surprise that over the past number of years its tourism industry has grown exponentially, with Aruba showing the highest occupancy rates in the Caribbean during the first seven months of 2019 (86.6%) 3 . Aruba is one of four countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The other three countries are the Netherlands and the Caribbean islands of Curaçao and Saint Martin. The legal system of Aruba has its origin in Roman law. Aruban law is in many respects similar to Dutch law. The similarities especially hold true when it comes to our Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure. Justice in Aruba is administered in the name of the Dutch King. The Aruban judiciary consists of professional judges appointed for life. The court system in Aruba consists of a Court of First Instance, a joint Court of Appeals for Aruba, Curaçao, Saint Maarten and the BES‑islands (Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba that, since 2010, form part of the Netherlands), and the Supreme Court (court of last resort) located in The Hague (the Netherlands). For many years, Timeshare has played an essential and pivotal role in the local tourism industry and thus in the Aruban economy as a whole 4 . Since the 1 This article has been prepared by the lawyers at Kuster Law located in Aruba, Beatrixstraat 27, T: (297) 588 5020, F: (297) 588 5022, E: kusterlaw@kusterlaw.com . 2 Aruba’s Climate, University of Aruba, www.ua.aw . 3 Tourism Performance 2011‑2019”, prepared by the Aruba Tourism Authority, August 29, 2019. 4 Economic Impacts of the Timeshare Industry in Aruba, Ziphora Baarh.