Corona opens first blue verified, single-use plastic-free Corona Island

Global beer brand Corona has on Tuesday announced the grand opening of Corona Island, a tropical sustainable destination for eco-tourism off the coast of Colombia.

Open to the public in summer 2023, the first-of-its-kind island paradise is free of single-use plastic, encouraging guests to reconnect with the natural world through immersive hospitality experiences.

The natural oasis is also the first Blue Verified island, the highest level of sustainability verification by the international nonprofit Oceanic Global. Corona Island achieved Oceanic Global’s three-star plastic-free Blue Seal for eliminating single-use plastic and adopting sustainable operating best practices at scale.

“On Corona Island, we are celebrating the majesty and beauty of the outdoors by getting guests engaged in protecting paradise,” said Felipe Ambra, global vice president for Corona at AB InBev. “Everyone on the team, from our chefs to our architects contributed to creating a truly single-use plastic-free paradise. We look forward to welcoming visitors, rekindling their relationship with nature and hopefully creating more advocates to protect our natural world.”

“Oceanic Global is honored to help develop the Corona Island experience and applauds Corona’s sector-leading sustainability efforts,” said Lea d’Auriol, founder and executive Director at Oceanic Global. “We’re proud to have worked with Corona from the beginning of the project to ensure that this sustainable destination demonstrates how travelers can experience paradise for both leisure and educational purposes, while leaving a minimal trace behind.”

Design and vision for the island was led by international architectural and design firm, James & Mau, in partnership with local Colombian architect, Jairo Márquez. Guest menus are created by Chilean-born Chef Christopher Carpentier, who was featured as a judge on MasterChef Colombia.

Corona Island’s leisure programs are curated by Paulina Vega, former Miss Universe, who was born on the Colombian coast. Educational workshops and excursions are hosted as part of Oceanic Global’s ‘Blue School’.