I’m certain everyone reading this can identify with two (2) of the three words in the subject. Aruba’s tourism history is no secret. Now as you may know, I try not to bore you with statistics but while thinking about this article, I did two things, one I parked on the boulevard pretending to be a plane spotter on Sunday last whereby I noticed about five (5) airlines landing in the space of 45mins and secondly, I took to the tourist area to observe the activity and get a pulse. Back to the subject, what does the 3rd word mean…it’s Esports…competitive video gaming…competitive electronic gaming including mobile gaming! You know electronic games, that thing us as millennials cried because we could only play on holidays and felt the pain when we lost current while playing and unable to save……..vs now it’s used as the babysitter to keep children occupied! Now what if I told you, which many readers may know, people now make careers and millions of dollars from playing competitively. I am sure many of you reading this can identify that many play these games, even on their phones.
Now think about this – what if we had some of the world’s best video gamers competing against each other engulfed by the beautiful island that is Aruba?…….just imagine hearing a famous commentator saying Guys we are here in Dushiiii Aruba for the Grand Finals of the Minecraft Global Challenge……to me this line alone, I can see every Gen Alpha/Gen Z wanting to be there in person while also watching on their phones (caught it?). Amazing if you ask me. I remember participating in the World esports Championships in Bali 2022 whereby 100+ countries participated and looking at the impact, I then asked myself – What if this was done in the Caribbean?
Now let’s look at 4 Reasons why these three can be a marriage:
- Aruba Does Tourism Well
- For the year 2024, Aruba Tourism Authority reported a 13% increase in visitors compared to 2023 with Latin American visitors representing a 38% increase.
- If one were to invest $1 in the rate of total visitor growth to Aruba over the last 20years, that $ would now be worth $1.78 which is a 78% growth rate over a 20-year period.
- Development of Skillsets in the Local Communities
- Based on research, it is estimated that Aruba has about 16,000 residents actively involved in gaming. Also, according to Newzoo and the ATA Deep Dive on Gen Z and Millennials, both demographics across three (3) geographical types ranks gaming within their top 6 things to do.
- While the topic is on esports and competitive gaming, there are several other careers birthed from within the gaming industry. Think of it like this. New career options provide a dual benefit, the learning of the new skill and the production of the skill. Also now focusing on the esports part of the industry – someone is required to produce the event, create content from the event, design the event, ensure the games are fully tested, manage the event. While given the share size of the market, I think any opportunity to develop local exportable skills will be welcomed. Furthermore, the wider gaming industry has been producing increasing career opportunities. Recently I saw a news article on schools in Aruba being equipped with fiber internet as a foundation for digital learning and technology within education. Very timely I must say.
- The Ocean is Relatively Blue in the Caribbean but there are proven models
- While the Caribbean is both known for sports and tourism, it’s relatively a small player in the sports tourism market. It is even smaller when looking at sectors such as video game based sports.
- The largest ongoing and consistent sports tourism outlet in the Caribbean; The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has some fantastic numbers. Quick maths:
- 2022 – USD135m generated for the Caribbean Region/36,000 rooms/+1,500 employed
- 2023 – USD100M generated for Guyana alone while the tournament was hosted throughout the region
- Esports and Sports Tourism
- According to the 2024 Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) report, the number one goal is to increase the economic value of tourism. This when tied with the facts that sports tourism covers about 10% of the world’s expenditure on tourism plus the estimated sports tourism growth rate of 18% between 2023-2030 plus esports having an estimated yearly growth rate of 6% for same period – provides all the elements for the marriage.
- Given the waters are relatively uncharted in the Caribbean, I believe this presents an amazing opportunity for Aruba to be a leader. Sports tourism is already active and done well on the island via the Beach Tennis (+1,200 from 40 countries over the last 3 years) and Kite Surfing (Aruba Hi-Winds is the largest of its kind in the Caribbean). Based on both, this means there would be lessons learned already to be transferred to that of esports.
To conclude, I would say that while I have discussed esports, that’s just part of the wider opportunity that is the gaming market. The reality is that most Millennials/Gen Z and Gen Alpha engage directly with games or gaming related content. That being said, I believe the opportunity for Aruba to position itself is great. The country has the ability to own this space and furthermore generate profits via Caribbean expansion. As the youths say, there are levels to this thing! Have a think about it! I am sure many of you reading this can identify with the possibility of this becoming a reality…. …Happy Reading!
Kwesi Charles is a seasoned corporate finance and investment professional with over 15 years of experience covering areas such as investment banking, private equity, debt financing, financial modeling, and consumer credit. He has USD billions of dollars in transaction experience.
Kwesi holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Finance. His insights have been published in Trinidad and Tobago’s leading business newspaper. He also proudly represents the Caribbean as the sole regional contributor to two of the largest credit union news platforms in the world: CUInsight and CUManagement.
When not involved in Finance, Kwesi is deeply passionate about sports and competitive video gaming, particularly esports. He even led the charge in establishing the Trinidad and Tobago National FIFA Video Gaming Team.
He is currently the  Managing Director of Bluestart Capital Aruba VBA (Facilito Cash), a subsidiary of the Unicomer Group. Through his blog, Kwesi shares thought leadership on finance, strategy, and sports—three areas that intersect in powerful ways in our daily lives.
His goal? To create value, share perspective, and help others navigate the ever-evolving world of finance.
For collaborations, discussions, or opportunities, Kwesi can be reached at kwesinyalcharles@gmail.com.
This article is sponsored by Facilito Cash
