Travel to Aruba Just Got Pricier…And With Good Reason!
Extra-added taxes/fees are generally NOT something most travelers enjoy paying in any way…EVER. I mean, the cost of travel is way too expensive these days, right? Piling ancillary fees on top of already inflated travel prices just seems criminal. At least it does to me in most cases. Travel to Aruba, though, is a very notable exception.
Everybody knows Aruba. A lot of people love traveling there too. To wit: 1.2 million people visited the One Happy Island in 2023. That’s 13% more than the previous year!
No doubt, these millions of people are enamored with many different aspects of Aruba’s travel charms. Among my own personal favorite things about the place: its staunch commitment to environmental sustainability.
Sustainable Travel to Aruba
We’ve touched on this before in posts on the Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, easily among the most eco-conscious places to stay anywhere in the Caribbean. This post touting the annual Aruba Reef and Beach Clean Up provides additional context.
Indeed, Aruba wants us all to visit the island and enjoy ourselves. At the same time, though, Aruba offers opportunities for eco-conscious travelers to contribute to a sustainable future for Arubans and those of us who love visiting.
Now, a new $20 Sustainability Fee ensures that we ALL chip in.
Aruba Sustainability Fee
Implemented in July 2024, the new Sustainability Fee must be paid by anyone and everyone traveling to Aruba by air. Local residents, children under eight years-old, and repeat travelers who already paid the fee within a calendar year are exempt. So too are cruise passengers, which I really don’t understand since the cruise industry so callously and continuously harms our natural environment. A story for another day, I guess…
Where does the money go?
Here’s the straight poop from our friends at Visit Aruba…
The Sustainability Fee will be used to upgrade the existing sewage water treatment plants and infrastructure (SWTP) as well as to build a new, larger one to handle future demand.
(See what I did there, i.e.: straight poop..?)
So yeah, travel to Aruba is a little more expensive now, but it’s for a good cause that will continue to make returning to the island great for generations to come. A small price to pay, if you ask me.
For more on Aruba’s new Sustainability Fee, including how to pay it (you can’t use cash!), check in with Visit Aruba today.
Related Posts
Where NOT to Stay in Aruba
Things to do in Aruba When it Rains
