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LOCAL Wednesday 28 May 2025

Aruba Tourism Authority honored loyal visitors at Marriott`s Aruba Surf Club!

tively. Surf Club bestowed the certificate
upon the honorees, presented
The three levels of honor are as fol- them with gifts, and thanked them
lows: for choosing Aruba as their favor-
Distinguished Visitor (10>years con- ite vacation destination, as their
secutively visiting Aruba) home away from home.
Goodwill Ambassador (20>years
consecutively visiting Aruba) The top reasons for returning to
Emerald Ambassador (35>years Aruba provided by the honorees
consecutively visiting Aruba) were:
• Aruba’s people.
The honorees were: • Aruba’s weather.
Goodwill Ambassadors • Aruba’s restaurants.
Mr. Jon & Mrs. Cheri Grinberg from • Aruba is safe.
Parlin New Jersey, United States. • “The ability to have fun and
do anything we want”
The Aruba Tourism Authority re- Distinguished Visitor
cently had the great pleasure of The honorary certification is pre- Mr. Anthony Grinberg from Tops- On behalf of the Aruba Tourism
recognizing Goodwill Ambassa- sented on behalf of the Minister field Massachusetts, United States. Authority, we would like to express
dors of Aruba. The honorees were of Tourism as a token of apprecia- our sincere gratitude and appre-
respectively honored with a certifi- tion and to say “Masha Danki” to Ms. Marouska Heyliger representing ciation to the honorees for their
cate for their years of visits, loyalty, guests who have visited Aruba 10, the Aruba Tourism Authority, and continued visits to the “One Happy
and love for the island of Aruba. 20, or 35 years or more consecu- staff members of Marriott`s Aruba Island”.q

Aruba’s Bocas: home to the rarest fossil reefs on the planet!

(Oranjestad)—If you’ve been to the northern coast the Ca' Foscari University of Venice and Prof. dr.
of Aruba already, you’ve probably noticed how Gianfranco Scicchitano, from the University of
the ground differs entirely from the sandy beaches Bari Aldo Moro, presented their research on these
on the southern part of the island. These hard fossilized coral reefs at the University of Aruba.
surfaces, with sharp bumps and holes are actu- Their focus for their research included studying
ally fossilized coral reefs, of which its growth and the health and formation patterns of these coral
changes can be traced back to the last glacial reefs, and to investigate how these reefs have
period. responded and can respond to fluctuating sea
levels or extreme weather, like hurricanes and
On May 30 2023, geoscientists, Dr. Patrick Boy- tsunamis.
den from the Marum research faculty at the Uni-
versity of Bremen, Prof. dr. Alessio Rovere from Through underwater and land surveillance, and
3D models of the reefs, they were able to nar-
row down when these formations started to take
place. They were also able to track the fluctu- incredible and rare remnant of geological his-
ation of sea levels during the past hundred or tory, as they provide a clear view of how these
even thousands of years, and the effects that reefs have formed.
this fluctuation has had on the coral reefs of the
windward side of Aruba. This research is also important for the future of
coral reefs on the island. By studying rising sea
These findings can certainly put things into per- levels and climate impact on these coral reefs,
spective. The ground on which we have walked we are able to take concrete action in protect-
many times in the northern part of the island ing and preserving our coral reefs. So, if you are
hold such rich history, history that dates back to ever visiting one of the bocas or driving along the
a time that most of us cannot even imagine. As northern part of the island, please be conscious
the scientists themselves have pointed out, these to help protect our natural historical remnant. Oh,
fossilized reefs on the windward side are truly an and wear (coral-friendly) sunscreen! q