Won several at the just ended World Travel Awards

Destination Jamaica continues to shine in the tourism arena, copping another set of international tourism awards.

The country secured several major accolades last Thursday (December 16) during a special World Travel Awards Winners Day presentation in Dubai. Jamaica was named the ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination’, ‘World’s Leading Family Destination’, and ‘World’s Leading Wedding Destination’ for 2021.   

The World Travel Awards is the global authority that recognises and honours excellence in travel and tourism.

Several Jamaica-based tourism entities secured major awards with Sandals Resorts International being named ‘World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company’, and its Beaches Resorts securing the title of ‘World’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort Brand’. 

Island Routes Caribbean Adventures was also named ‘World’s Leading Caribbean Attraction Company’ and Fleming Villa at GoldenEye has been named the ‘World’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa’. Round Hill Hotel & Villas has been dubbed the ‘World’s Leading Villa Resort’.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), based at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica, secured the award for the ‘World’s Leading Tourism Initiative’.

Other awards won by Jamaican tourism players

Several other Jamaican tourism entities also secured major awards with Club Mobay at Sangster International Airport being named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Airport Lounge’ for 2021 and Sangster International Airport honoured as the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Airport’.

The Historic Naval Dock in Port Royal has been named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourism Development Project’; Port of Montego Bay selected ‘Caribbean’s Leading Home Port’; and Port of Falmouth voted ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Port’. Dunn’s River Falls was named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction’.

In the buildup to the Winners Day, Jamaica was named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Destination’ as well as the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination’, the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination’, and the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Nature Destination’ for 2021.

The Jamaica Tourist Board was named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’.

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was on hand to accept the coveted awards, saying: “It is an honour for Jamaica to receive these accolades, which represents the strength and resilience of our tourism sector. It has indeed been a challenging two years, but we have risen above the adversities, using creative means to ensure that Destination Jamaica remains top of mind in the travel market.”

Bartlett noted that, as “all our hardworking stakeholders have toiled together” it was “wonderful that Jamaica and our industry leaders are being recognised in this way by such an esteemed organisation”.

World Trade Awards history

The World Travel Awards was founded in 1993 to recognise, reward, and celebrate achievement in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised worldwide as the pinnacle of industry achievement.

This year, the World Travel Awards marks its 28th anniversary, and its annual conference is widely regarded as the most prominent and thorough in the field. Each year, the World Travel Awards Grand Tour travels worldwide, recognising excellence in each continent through a series of regional gala ceremonies that culminate in a Grand Final at the end of the year.