The Aruba Tourism Authority (A.T.A.) has continued to strengthen its strategic positioning in Argentina with a visit to Buenos Aires, which included participation in the prestigious Forbes Sustainability Summit and a series of meetings. Ronella Croes, CEO of A.T.A., held a central role in the “High Impact Alliances” session, reaffirming A.T.A.’s commitment to responsible tourism, collaboration, and sustainable destination management.
In the session held on July 1, the CEO of A.T.A. participated as a keynote speaker in a panel discussion alongside the editor of Forbes. The conversation focused on responsible tourism and local well-being. This participation positions Aruba not only as a tourist destination, but as one that stands for the purpose of fostering a greater balance between the visitor experience, community well-being, protection of nature and the environment, and the preservation of culture and authenticity.
In a context where tourism is evolving toward more responsible practices, Aruba launched its communication strategy in the Argentine market in May 2026: “Cuando Amas Aruba, Aruba te Ama” (When You Love Aruba, Aruba Loves You Back). This is the global institutional message that is now live in Argentina as well, which Aruba launched last year in other markets in English. In Argentina, an initiative even more focused on responsible tourism was launched, titled: “Cuida Aruba como cuidas tu hogar” (Care for Aruba like you care for your home).
The initiative invites visitors to enjoy Aruba while also caring for and respecting it. It provides guidance to guests before they arrive in Aruba. This reinforces a new way of connecting with Aruba, where visitors do not feel just like tourists, but as guests who are part of the community and understand the shared responsibility where the protection of our home must be borne by the resident, but also by the guest we welcome. Through this initiative, Aruba promotes concrete actions to protect its nature and connect with our culture, fostering behaviors even more in line with responsible tourism. Already at its inception, in record time, this latest initiative has reached more than 875,000 people, has been included in collaborations with influencers, in the training of more than a thousand travel agents and tour operators, and is distributed by airlines, among others, during the check-in process.
Global platforms like Forbes are of great importance in this strategy. The Forbes Sustainability Summit helps amplify Aruba’s message not only in Argentina but also in other relevant markets with an audience of leaders and decision-makers.
A.T.A. is aware of the challenges of ‘overtourism’, and the organization’s mission is to contribute to “An Aruba that is great to live in, is an Aruba great to visit.” Although this is not solely in A.T.A.’s hands, the organization contributes through tourism product development, research, and requested and unrequested advice, together with communication strategies aimed at visitors that have been greatly adjusted.
The message to the Argentine market is also one of stabilizing visitor volume and directing the strategy toward expanding the number of high-value visitors. This is a topic that was also touched upon in meetings with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where they met with the ‘Deputy Ambassador’, ‘Mission Leader’, and the Director of the ‘Argentine-Dutch Chamber of Commerce’. This topic was also discussed with the Aerolíneas Argentinas team in the presence of its Commercial Director and the Marketing & Content Manager. Interviews held with major media outlets, including Infobae and Clarín, also included the key messages.
The market has grown significantly, and the intention is to adjust the strategy and continue harvesting success through a market important to Aruba. Success is therefore tied to stabilizing volume and increasing high-value visitors. A.T.A. will continue with the strategy of positioning the destination based on the desire to protect our island, directing this message to those who are potential visitors and in forums that allow Aruba to highlight what it wants to continue working on. All of this requires different steps.
