Comparing Jamaica and Aruba as Vacation Destinations, Essay Example

The vacation industry has become one of the highest gross earning industries in all economies throughout the world.  As a trillion dollar enterprise, it is clear that millions of people desire to venture into foreign areas and enjoy brief periods of time away from work and the everyday stresses of life.  Jamaica and Aruba are two of these destination locations.  While each has its own specific benefits that make them highly desired to visit, the geographical and environmental layouts as well as entertainment opportunities are very different within each country.

Jamaica is a smaller island located in the Caribbean Sea, which is a highly tropical environment, just south of Cuba.  The climate is typically very warm with increased levels of humidity caused by the vast water that surrounds the entire island (CIA World Factbook).  Furthermore, the terrain consists primarily of mountains, and there exists a narrow, discontinuous coastal plain around the island.  The beaches just off the coast of the ocean are valuable vacation destinations for swimming, sunbathing, and other relaxing and entertaining events.  Commonly, there exists a boardwalk of sorts just off the coast that is full of dining restaurants, alcohol and beer sales, and many other service industry organizations.  In 2006, statistics were reported that over 64% of the entire Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Jamaica has been attributed to the vacation services industry (CIA World Factbook).  It is clear that Jamaica provides an excellent environment that is conducive to vacationing and individual getaways.

Similarly, Aruba also has many attributes within the country that are also highly conducive to making it into a strong vacation destination.  First of all, Aruba is also an island located in the tropical environment of the Caribbean Sea.  It is located geographically just north of Venezuela.  Due to its central location, the climate continues to maintain tropically warm with very little variance throughout the entire year (CIA World Factbook).  The terrain is nothing like Jamaica, however.  In Aruba, the land is made up of primarily flat, wide open spaces.  While it would appear that it is easier to build companies and use resources for buildings to intrigue individuals into vacationing there, the land mass actually is much smaller that Jamaica and is not conducive to building.  Therefore, there are fewer vacationing opportunities for individuals to enjoy.  Yet, similar to Jamaica, 66.3% of the GDP in 2002 was estimated to come from servicing vacationers through restaurants and other service ventures (CIA World Factbook).

Both vacation destinations are world-renowned for their beauty and the excellent experiences that can be gained while vacationing there.  There are a few deterrents for each that can turn vacationers off, however.  First of all, crime is a very serious issue in Jamaica.  Smaller portions of the indigenous people there thrive on taking advantage of vacationers and foreigners that are not familiar with customs or Jamaican laws (“Jamaica”).  While crime does exist in Aruba, it very rarely poses any real problem for the people that choose it as a vacation destination (“Aruba”).  Meanwhile, in Aruba only 7.7% of people speak English (CIA World Factbook).  Most of the service industry companies and organizations have individuals that speak English on staff to provide support and service; however, vacationers can be very limited in their communication abilities with the Aruban people.  On the other hand, Jamaicans only speak English, or a slightly different dialect of it called English patios (CIA World Factbook).  Nevertheless, it is clear that both countries can be excellent vacation destinations for individuals that are prepared to experience the different cultural, social, and economic benefits that Aruba and Jamaica have to offer.

Works Cited

“Aruba.” Welcome to Travel.State.Gov. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1153.html>.

“CIA – The World Factbook — Aruba.” Welcome to the CIA Web Site Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aa.html>.

“CIA – The World Factbook — Jamaica.” Welcome to the CIA Web Site Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/jm.html>.

“Jamaica.” Welcome to Travel.State.Gov. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. <http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1147.html>.