Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort “Leaves No One Behind” with United Nations’ SDG 10
Results reveal resort’s progressive commitment to Reduced Inequalities initiative
In a time where a handful of people hold most of the world’s wealth, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, Aruba has created an all-encompassing approach that actively integrates the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG 10), Reduced Inequalities, into its practices. The result: equal opportunity employment, equally welcomed guests and meaningful contributions to the island community. Bucuti & Tara’s long-standing embrace of this is rooted in the understanding that when every individual is respected and self-sufficient, the entire world prospers.
A proud ally
With June being Pride Month, Bucuti & Tara is particularly proud to highlight its year-round commitment to welcoming LGBTQ+ applicants and support for all of its LGBTQ+ staff. Job postings are supported with the resort’s LGBTQ+ certifications and endorsements so that applicants know it is a welcoming and safe space. The Pride Flag shines along with the other flags standing tall at the entrance of the resort.
A ripple effect of success for all
SDGs are global calls for people and the planet. The 17 SDGs provide a powerful, all-encompassing aspiration for improving the world by laying out where society collectively needs to go and how to get there. SDG 10 calls for reducing inequalities based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or other status. Here are ways Bucuti & Tara aligns with the SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities by ensuring fair treatment of its staff, guests and the local community:
Employee well-being. The resort prioritizes its Bucuti Associates’ well-being both professionally and personally. Bucuti & Tara provides staff with an elevated, comprehensive compensation package. It vows to hire on-island first. Diversity is celebrated with more than 100 nationalities calling Aruba home. Women excel throughout the entire organization from the front lines all the way to the top in the executive suite, with an equal number of women in management and leadership positions. Pay disparity continues to be a major challenge for women worldwide, however, not at Bucuti & Tara where women are truly equals and receive equal pay and career progression opportunities.
Staff thrive with ongoing training and professional development opportunities. They are cared for with safe workplace settings, wellness offerings including healthy food options, additional health coverage and gym memberships, along with access to sustainable living options through green loans which facilitate the acquisition of solar panels, inverter technology and electric vehicles. They are celebrated monthly and yearly. In Feb., 56 staff of the 104-room resort were recognized for five or more years of service to include 61% who had 10 or more years. During the pandemic when borders closed and when financial strides could have disastrously diminished, Bucuti & Tara exemplified its commitment to staff by providing continued employment, skill-building and necessities. The resort is proudly approved by and endorsed by IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, and the Travel Advocacy Group with its TAG Approved® certification.
Guest experience. Bucuti & Tara offers an inclusive and welcoming environment for all guests staying at the adults-only enclave. Every day, guests hail from one or more of 25 countries worldwide. While it is commonplace to hear that of course every guest is treated equally, it goes beyond gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and education level. At Bucuti & Tara, love is love. Throughout the resort’s 36 years, it celebrates all couples regardless of sexual preference.
Just as staff with special needs enjoy an accessible and inclusive workplace, the resort also provides guests with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the No. 21 Best Hotel in the World per Tripadvisor. A dedicated, outfitted guest room, a wide, solid path through the courtyard leading to sun loungers on the resort’s famous stretch of beach affectionately named one of the “Dream Beaches of the World,”, and a dedicated personal concierge ensure that such guests, like every guest, experience a memorable vacation.
Unlike most hotels in the world, Bucuti & Tara does not have dynamic, fluctuating room rates. It believes in providing the same fair value for every single guest. Beyond that, its rates are referred to as “no surprise fees.” They include accommodations, full daily breakfast, complimentary wellness activity of the day, all fees and taxes, tablet use throughout stay, WiFi, parking and local calls. The approach helps avoid unwanted surprises at check-out so when guests leave, their vacation bliss is all they take with them.
Community. Bucuti & Tara runs at an enviable 97% occupancy year-round. For almost 37 years, the award-winning resort and restaurant’s popularity and promise of excellence continues to draw guests, and as a locally owned and operated resort with a commitment to community, resulting revenue is kept on island where staff, local vendors and the government benefit. The resort encourages guests to explore the island including dining and shopping within the community to support local businesses. The resort’s achievements of being the Caribbean’s first and only certified carbon-neutral hotel and simultaneously being among the pinnacle .0001% hotels globally as a Top 25 Best Hotel in the World out of 1.6 million listed on Tripadvisor has aided in garner headlines and captivating travelers to select Aruba as their destination of choice, which helps boost the economy.
The resort prioritizes procurement within the local community. It celebrates artists by bringing them into the resort to entertain, by displaying interactive art by internationally acclaimed local artist Elisa LeJuez, and by hosting artisans each week to showcase their talents for guests. Off property, the resort founded the highly impactful Stimami Sterilisami spay and neutering program for island dogs and cats to help solve Aruba’s pet overpopulation issue. Bucuti & Tara is a longstanding supporter of the Donkey Sanctuary Aruba, sea turtle conservation nonprofit Turtugaruba and Aruba Animal Shelter.
To help reverse the loss of nature, resort Owner/CEO Ewald Biemans co-founded Ban Lanta y Planta to reforest throughout the island including the resort’s gift to Aruba of The Bucuti Tara - GMC Nature Preserve. It further invests in the island’s community by inviting school children to tree plantings and teaching them how to do sustainable farming followed by providing some of their mint to the resort in exchange for a donation to their nonprofit organization.
The overall commitment to SDG 10 reflects the resort’s dedication to regenerative travel. To discover more, this is part of a growing series of how SDGs power every sustainable vacation at Bucuti & Tara.
About Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort
Declared the first certified CarbonNeutral® hotel in the Caribbean in 2018, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is the No. 3 Hotel in the Caribbean and No. 21 Hotel in the World according to Tripadvisor. Aruba’s premier adults-only boutique resort is led by celebrated hotelier and environmentalist, Ewald Biemans, who holds many accolades including multiple Hotelier of the Year awards. The resort is nestled on the powdery white sands of Eagle Beach, home to protected sea turtles and named one of the “Dream Beaches of the World.”
Home to the Caribbean’s Safest, Healthiest Vacation Experience and Aruba’s Health & Happiness Code seal, Bucuti has 104 well-appointed guest rooms, suites and penthouses. It offers sunbeds and shade for every guest; freshwater infinity pool; spa; WiFi; and complimentary iPad for use during stay. Award-winning healthy dining is enjoyed at oceanfront Elements, Tara Lounge and private beach dining. Reserved exclusively for guests and their friends, the open-air SandBar offers top-shelf cocktails and live music daily along with the Caribbean’s first Healthy Hour. The resort is IGLTA and TAG Approved® as an LGBTQ-friendly hotel. Bucuti & Tara, a worldwide sustainable tourism leader, holds eco-certifications of CarbonNeutral®, LEED Gold, Green Globe Platinum and Travelife Gold and was named the World’s Most Sustainable Hotel/Resort in 2016 by Green Globe. The resort exemplifies an all-embracing commitment to the the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations deemed Bucuti & Tara’s sustainability program “highly replicable and scalable” for hotels worldwide to emulate.
