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LOCAL Wednesday 2 July 2025

Bucuti & Tara Honored with Dual 2025 AHATA Impact Awards for Championing
Cultural Heritage and Environmental Conservation

A continued legacy of purpose-driven hospitality rooted in care for Aruba’s people, nature, and identity

AHATA Impact Awards for the categories Championing Cultural Heri-
tage and Environmental Conservation, a meaningful acknowledgment
of the resort’s ongoing commitment to Aruba’s people, planet, and
place. Presented annually by the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Associa-
tion (AHATA), the awards celebrate the tourism industry’s most impact-
ful contributions to the island’s future. As a local, family-owned resort
rooted in purpose, Bucuti & Tara continues to welcome guests who seek
more than a picturesque escape. Its enduring appeal lies in offering
experiences that are sustainable, authentic, and meaningful.

This year’s winners were selected by an independent panel including
Daniel Tecklenborg (CEDE), Edjean Semeleer (GoCultura), Francielle
Lacle and Rosabelle Illes (University of Aruba), and Jan Noordzij (Ad-
vance HR). This dual win marks a heartfelt milestone in what has already
been an exceptional year for Bucuti & Tara and serves as a source of
immense pride for the entire team. graded to energy-efficient VRF air-conditioning, applied MIG insulat-
ing coatings to reduce energy use, and replaced its entire fleet with
Environmental Excellence and Global Leadership electric vehicles. It also became the first in Aruba to replace LPG water
Bucuti & Tara’s recognition in the Environmental Conservation category heaters with heat pump systems that use ambient heat instead of gas.
is especially meaningful, having previously received the inaugural AHA- Additionally, in food & beverage operations, the resort implemented a
TA Impact Award for Environmental Protection in 2023. Rather than rest- zero-waste system, ensuring nothing is sent to the landfill.
ing on that milestone, the resort’s latest submission focused on how it The resort also introduced Green Loans for its Associates, offering finan-
has continued to evolve as a local and global leader, moving beyond cial support to invest in solar panels, inverter systems, electric vehicles,
carbon neutrality toward becoming Net Zero in Scopes 1 and 2. insulating coating, or other sustainable solutions. This initiative under-
Unlike many organizations that rely heavily on carbon credits, Bucuti & scores our commitment to protecting the environment not only within
Tara has prioritized eliminating emissions at the source. Through energy our resort, but throughout our community by empowering our team to
efficiency, renewable energy, and operational innovation, the resort lead sustainable lives at home.
continues to reduce its carbon footprint in measurable ways, an ap- Alongside these achievements, Bucuti & Tara remains the only certified
proach that the United Nations has coined as “highly replicable and CarbonNeutral® in the Caribbean and the eco-certified hotel, holding
scalable” for the global hospitality industry. certifications for Green Globe Platinum, Travelife Gold, and LEED Gold.
Since becoming the Caribbean’s first certified carbon-neutral hotel in In 2024, it became the first hotel in the world to earn two consecutive
2018, Bucuti & Tara has steadily advanced its environmental program. perfect 100% audit scores from Green Globe, a rare feat, with the glob-
The resort has transitioned to a fully electric, fossil-fuel-free kitchen, up- al average at just 63%.q

The Lionfish

And its threat to our marine wild life

(Oranjestad)—Despite its bee’s sting. problem especially for our Atlantic happened in Florida, Brakel who dedicate their
colorful and striking appear- Its natural predators in the local coral reefs. Accord- where people would buy li- lives hunting and capturing
ance, the lionfish has become Indo-Pacific are sharks and ing to Patrick van Brakel, li- onfish from across the world these invasive species, using
a Caribbean-wide problem for barracudas, but in the Carib- onfish expert and hunter from to keep in their aquariums. them for consumption and
Atlantic sea life. The Aruban bean Sea, local fish do not the Hunting Lionfish Aruba However, lionfish grow, and jewelry making.
marine wild life is also affected recognize the lionfish as part foundation, every reef has as these buyers realized that They are caught with a hand
by this beautiful dilemma, as of their diet. In other words, a “cleaning station”—tiny the fish were too much up- spear, an object resembling a
it is foreign to our waters and the lionfish has no predators fish that eat algae and other keep, they were let out into garbage picker with 4 sharp
has become a danger to our in the Caribbean Sea. And types of waste on a reef, thus the ocean to roam free. From prongs. These spears are used
local fish and reefs. this becomes a major prob- maintaining the reef’s health continental USA, the lionfish like a sling shot to catch lionfish
lem for our local marine life; and providing food to the fish travelled to and invaded the from a distance. These fish are
Originating from the Indo- if there are no predators to population in the area. How- entire Caribbean area, from then put into a collecting tube
Pacific Ocean, the lionfish is stimulate population con- ever, as the lionfish feeds off Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao and taken out of the water.
a relatively small fish. It has trol of lionfish, these fish can of these tiny fish, it becomes up to New York. In Aruba, lion- Van Brakel not only catches
no teeth, but it does protect continue to reproduce and harder for the coral reef to fish were discovered in 2009. them himself, but also cooks
itself against predators using expand to other parts of the maintain its health. Controlling the lionfish popu- them for locals and tourists at
its sharp, colorful spikes. It is Atlantic, become more inva- Patrick also shares the origins lation is challenge, as each The LionFish Snack Aruba in
said that the sting of a lion- sive and dangerous for other of lionfish in the Caribbean female fish can lay up to Paradera. This way, he does
fish can be up to 100 times types of fish. Sea. It is theorized that the 40,000 eggs a day. Luckily, his part in protecting the local
more painful than that of a For Aruba, the lionfish is a introduction of these fish in the we have people like van wild life.q