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LOCAL Wednesday 26 March 2025

Aruba Tourism Authority honored a loyal visitor at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort!

The Aruba Tourism Authority The threelevels of honor are Authority, and staff mem-
recently had the great plea- as follows: bers of Bucuti & Tara Beach
sure of recognizing Goodwill Distinguished Visitor (10>years resort bestowed the cer-
Ambassador of Aruba. The- consecutively visiting Aruba) tificate upon the honoree,
honoree was respectively Goodwill Ambassador presented him with gifts, and
honored with a certificate for (20>years consecutively visit- thanked him for choosing
hisyears of visits, loyalty, and ing Aruba) Aruba as his favorite vaca-
love for the island of Aruba. Emerald Ambassador tion destination, as his home
(35>years consecutively visit- away from home.
ing Aruba)
The honorary certification is The top reasons for returning
presented on behalf of the The honoree was: to Aruba as provided by the
Minister of Tourism as a to- Goodwill Ambassador honoree were:
ken of appreciation and to Mr. William Hedberg from • Aruba’s people.
say “Masha Danki” to guests Ponte Vedra Beach Florida, • Aruba’s beaches.
who have visited Aruba 10, United States. • Aruba’s weather. tude and appreciation to
20, or 35 years or more con- • Aruba’s restaurants. On behalf of the Aruba Tour- the honoree for his contin-
secutively. Mr. Jorgino Willems repre- • “The beautiful sun- ism Authority, we would like ued visits to the “One Happy
senting the Aruba Tourism sets” to express our sincere grati- Island”.q

Aruba: The island of Aloes

ORANJESTAD – Aloe vera, a succu- and looking bright and nourished. supplier of aloin for laxative, which
lent plant species, is renowned for Aside from the gel, aloe contains was imported abroad to the United
its incredible properties for the skin. a bitter, yellow substance (called States and Europe. The aloin from
It is widely distributed and usually aloin) which is a gentle but power- Aruba and Curaçao was known to
grows in tropical, semi-tropical ful laxative, and it is also the origin be one of the best in the world and
and arid climates on the planet. of the industry of aloe in Aruba. was more expensive, which meant
But this plant also had a very prom- that at the time, it had significant
inent role in the history of Aruba, According to the website of Roy- economic impact, particularly for
and its significance to the island’s al Aruba Aloe, Aloe vera was in- the local farmers.
economy endures to this day. troduced in Aruba around 1840,
when most of the island’s inhabit- However, by the time the oil indus- amounted to around 30 percent
The leaves of Aloe vera contain a ants were farmers of little means. try arrived on Aruba, it changed of the total global production!
good amount of gel which when Dutch Governor Van Raders intro- the labor market on Aruba, shifting
used topically, is great for the skin. duced the plant after it had been away from agriculture. It would be The impact and relevance of aloe
Traditionally, Arubans use this gel introduced in other islands of the after World War II that aloe would is visible all around Aruba. While
to treat minor burns and other skin Caribbean to cultivate and har- make a comeback. And eventu- most homes will have a few plants
ailments, or just to keep skin supple vest the aloe to produce the laxa- ally, as science learned about the for personal use and decoration,
tive. amazing properties of aloe gel, houses are also decorated with
the industry shifted from produc- aloe motifs, and at some point,
Around 1920, about two-thirds of ing laxative to producing skin care. aloe even featured on post stamps.
Aruba was aloe fields, earning our An interesting fact is that in 1951, Around 1920, about two-thirds of
island the nickname “The Island of the production of Aruban aloe Aruba was aloe fields, earning our
Aloes.” island the nickname “The Island of
Aloes.” And in 1955, the aloe be-
Under Commander Jan Helenus came a part of Aruba’s coat of
Ferguson (1866-1871), aloe experi- arms, symbolizing prosperity for the
enced a boom, which is why there island.q
is a road named after him, which
goes through the aloe fields. In the Images from the archive of the Na-
19th century, Aruba was the main tional Library of Aruba.