Caribbean Tourism Celebrated Big Time at World Travel Awards
Caribbean Tourism Celebrated Big Time at World Travel Awards
Leading brands from across the Caribbean tourism industry walked away with top honors from the World Travel Awards following a gala ceremony on Oct. 19 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Senior tourism leaders, captains of industry and international media traveled from over 30 nations to attend the annual Caribbean & the Americas Gala Ceremony at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island.
Jamaica’s position as a leader in the global tourism arena was strengthened further as it was named “Caribbean’s Leading Destination” for the sixth year running.
In a year that has seen visitor arrivals rise 5.7 percent, the paradise island also picked up “Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board” and “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination”. Jamaican success in the cruise category was no surprise given the successful opening the new cruise terminal in Falmouth earlier this year.
St Lucia won the coveted title of “Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination”, while Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island was voted “Caribbean Leading Private Island”.
In the “Caribbean’s Leading Resort” category, Casa de Campo (Dominican Republic) saw off stiff competition from the likes of Half Moon (Jamaica), Jumby Bay (Antigua), Four Seasons Resort (Nevis) and Sandy Lane (Barbados). Meanwhile Caribbean Airlines picked up “Caribbean’s Leading Airline”.
Graham Cooke, president, World Travel Awards, underlined the remarkable resilience of the Caribbean’s travel and tourism economy despite the challenges of the global recession. “The Caribbean is a textbook example of how the travel and tourism industry can serve an engine for growth, with the ability to steer the region out of one of the most challenging periods in global financial history,” he said.
The Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony marked the fifth and final leg of World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour, and followed heats in Dubai, UAE; Antalya, Turkey; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; and Bangkok, Thailand. The regional winners progress to the Grand Final, which takes place in Doha, Qatar on December 11, 2011.
