A Promise Goes a Long Way

Aruba is one of the most culturally and geographically diverse islands in the Caribbean, offering visitors a well-rounded and diverse destination to explore.  With tourism as our main economic pillar, preserving both our heritage and our environment for generations to come is paramount.

The Aruba Tourism Authority recently relaunched an inspirational awareness campaign highlighting the importance of sustaining the island’s environment and heritage. The My Promise to Aruba initiative encourages the island’s tourism-related partners as well as visitors to the island like you to act sustainably to contribute to Aruba’s efforts to preserve its environment, wildlife, and cultural heritage.

The backbone of the campaign is to create awareness of Aruba’s proactive sustainability mindset, encouraging everyone who loves Aruba to be mindful of their footprint and how their care of our environment and respect and support of our culture can positively impact the island for generations to come. 

You can make your promise to Aruba to be a mindful visitor by visiting www.aruba.com/promise.  You can also download your certificate affirming your promise, which can then be shared. 

In the meantime, here are a few tips to follow to help protect our One happy island during your stay:

Keep it clean

Of course this is the easiest step to protecting our environment and keeping our award-winning beaches and crystal clear waters beautiful and pristine for us all to enjoy.  There are trash receptacles located on most public beaches and points of interest, or if out and about exploring the island, take your trash with you to dispose of later if there is not a convenient trash receptacle. And be mindful of our trade winds—gusts can easily blow your trash into the sea. 

Leave the seashells by the seashore 

Look, don’t touch!  As tempting as it is to collect lovely seashells and coral to take home as a reminder of your vacation on Aruba, it is against the law to do so and a monetary fine can be imposed.  Likewise, when snorkeling or scuba diving, do not touch the coral or sea life.

Aruba’s turtle nesting and hatching season runs March through November.  During these months, particularly along Eagle Beach, visitors will come across nests marked off with red and white barricades.  Please respect these areas as no-go zones.  If you are fortunate to witness a turtle laying a nest, please watch from a distance; turtles are very shy and will easily leave without nesting. If watching a hatching taking place, leave hatchlings in their nest; they will exit the nest when they are ready. Let them crawl to the water on their own, allowing them to imprint on their home beach.

Don’t drive on the beaches or dunes

The beautiful, soft white sands of our dunes and beaches seem like the perfect playground for a four-wheeling adventure. But our ecosystem relies on these areas to provide habitat for local flora and fauna.  Driving on the dunes destroys the vegetation that stabilizes the dunes, creating a ripple effect that threatens more species, including endangered species.

Respect our sustainability laws

The global need to reduce single-use plastics is magnified on a small island like Aruba, both for environmental and economic reasons. Aruba took the lead in the Caribbean, banning single-use plastics as of July, 2020. Banned items include plastic/styrofoam cups, plates, and food containers, as well as plastic straws, stirrers, and utensils. In essence, any disposable plastic that is needed for the consumption of food and beverage is banned from use on the island.

As with single-use plastics, an official ban on sunscreens containing oxybenzone was enacted into law in July, 2020.  Coral reefs around the world, including along Aruba’s coastlines, are suffering from bleaching events, and oxybenzone directly impacts corals’ defensive abilities.  Bleaching is typically brought on by unusually warm waters, but it is not necessarily a death sentence if the coral can regenerate.  Chemicals like oxybenzone damage the DNA of coral, preventing it from recovering and developing.  Sunscreens that are mineral-based, with UV blockers like zinc, are considered reef-safe. 

Explore our island and culture

Most visitors come to Aruba for our beautiful beaches and sea, but Aruba’s geography has so many unique features to explore—from cactus-studded countryside, bird sanctuaries, impressive rock formations, and caves to Arikok National Park, which comprises about 18% of the island’s land mass and conserves our local flora and fauna.

While you are out and about, visit other towns on the island like San Nicolas—the birthplace of Aruba’s carnival. San Nicolas is also home to the Caribbean’s largest street gallery, with fascinating murals and street-art from  local, regional, and global artists. 

Savaneta is a charming, laid-back, and scenic coastal town and home to many of our local fishermen, while downtown Oranjestad is colorfully flavored with a mix of shopping, dining, museums, and historic architecture.

There are many family-owned local restaurants and street-food featuring our eclectic culinary traditions to discover in these towns as well.

Support local businesses and artists

Aruba is brimming with local talent and astute entrepreneurs.  When shopping for gifts and souvenirs, look for the Seyo Nacional pa Artesania, Aruba’s national seal of craftsmanship.  There are also weekly markets at several resorts and other public venues where you can meet the artisans and purchase directly from them. 

There are several local businesses selling a wide-range of authentic products like bottled hot sauces and jams, rum and other liquor, cigars, sun-care and beauty products, jewelry, and accessories that are ideal to take back home to share with family and friends.