Follow on Google News News By Tag Industry News News By Place Country(s) Industry News
Follow on Google News | ![]() Aruba Passes Landmark Same-sex Civil Partnership LawOnce again setting the pace for the Caribbean region, Aruba has voted to allow same sex civil partnerships.
One of the leading members of the Aruban parliament backing the change, Desiree de Sousa Croes, commented: 'It is so beautiful to have people tell you that you are an example for the rest of the Caribbean. We are a small island but this has so much impact on the rest of the Caribbean. Aruba has set the tone and now the other Caribbean islands can follow.' Aruba is one of the constituent countries that make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Same-sex couples previously could marry in the Netherlands and return to have their marriage certificate recognised under a law obligating recognition of official documents throughout the kingdom. However, a substantial international lobbying campaign by human and gay rights organisations helped push through the parliamentary vote. The Dutch Caribbean island already has an international reputation as a leading destinations for weddings and honeymoons and this development is set to further enhance that. Aruba was recently named the Most Romantic Island in the Caribbean by the global Luxury Travel Guide. More than 1,400 of last year's 12,300 UK visitors went to the island for their honeymoon or to marry – just over 11 per cent of the total and an increase of more than 19 per cent over the previous year. The vote further enhances Aruba's reputation as a policy leader in Caribbean. It also leads the way on environmental issues, having declared an objective of being fossil-fuel free by 2020. It was also the first to recently ban the provision of single-use plastic shopping bags. For more information about Aruba, go to www.aruba.com For further press information, please contact: Joanna Walding Tel: 07885 913860 E-mail: j.walding@aruba.com Aruba Tourism Authority – UK & Ireland End
|
|