Caribbean News
Jamaica wins title for Leading Destination in the Caribbean
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#Jamaica, August 29, 2023 – Jamaica sores above other countries in the region being voted as the Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Caribbean and The Americas gala ceremony.
The ceremony was held on Saturday August 26th, 2023 at Sandals Grand St. Lucian, marking the opening of the WTA’s landmark 30th anniversary Grand Tour 2023 – a global search for the finest travel and tourism organizations.
The island also claimed other titles as the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Port, Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board and the Caribbean’s Leading Airport.
The Leading Cruise Port award was for Falmouth, one of Jamaica’s largest piers and the port for Royal Caribbean, which Donovan White, Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board said do a lot for the country given the connections they create for onshore excursions.
Additionally, it was pointed out by White that the awards for Leading Cruise Destination and Leading Cruise Port are encouraging amid challenges that need overcoming in the cruise sector which he described as slowly recovering since the pandemic.
Considering this, he informed them that they are working with partners to get back to back to normal.
“The itineraries in the northern Caribbean have had troubles over the last two years since COVID and we continue to work with them to seam those out so that we get back to regular porting.”
There is still much to do for the improvement of the country despite the awards as expressed by White, as reported by Loop News, to which he spoke.
“We are working. You hear Minister Edmund Bartlett speak all the time about making the Jamaica Tourist economy and to do that we have to do a lot more.”
He continued to highlight some of the work needed.
He said, “we have to transition our road networks into full highway systems, we have to complete the 15,000 rooms in seven years that we promised,” adding, “we have to continue to bring new investment into open new tourist attractions, we have to get the small and medium size businesses to understand what linkages are, understand what role they need to play in driving the tourism economy of Jamaica, because at the end of the day, it is a team game and Jamaica has to work as a team not only to ensure that we win these awards, but we continue to grow.”
Though the country won many awards, White expressed that the ones that are most heartfelt are the Leading Tourist Board of the Caribbean and the Leading Caribbean Destination, highlighting that the island has set a standard to which all tourist boards are compared, adding that it is important for the island to keep that standard high.
“For Jamaica to own those awards, the tourist board award we have won for 17 consecutive years. It tells me that we have set a standard by which all tourist boards are measured, so we can’t afford to drop that standard, we live by that standard. It’s for us to lose it, and I don’t see the team wanting to lose that anytime soon. It is really dedicated to the hard work of the team of the JTB to continually win that award,” he maintained.
Jamaica won a list of other awards such as:
- Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction: Dunn’s River Falls and Parks
- Caribbean’s Leading Airport Lounge: Club MoBay at Sangster Airport
- Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Resort: Golden Eye
- Caribbean’s Leading Destination Management Company: GO Jamaica Travel
- Caribbean’s Leading Home Port: Port of Montego Bay
- Caribbean’s Leading Hotel: Half Moon Jamaica
- Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Residences: The Tryall Club
- Caribbean’s Leading Independent Car Rental Company: Island Car Rentals
- Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All Suite Resort: Jamaica Inn
- Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All Inclusive Resort: Sandals Dunn’s River
- Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All Inclusive Villa: Fleming’s Villa @ Golden Eye
- Caribbean’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre: Montego Bay Convention Centre
- Caribbean’s Leading New Resort: Sandals Dunn’s River
- Caribbean’s Leading Tour Operator: Go Jamaica Travel
- Caribbean’s Leading Travel Agency: Go Jamaica Travel
Other Caribbean countries won awards including The Bahamas with the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island 2023 award; The Turks and Caicos with the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination 2023 award; and St. Lucia with the Caribbean’s Leading Nature Destination 2023 award.
To see all the other awards given see: https://www.worldtravelawards.com/winners/2023/caribbean
Caribbean News
Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts celebrate a night of wins, and take home a total of 16 titles at the 32nd Annual World Travel Awards
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (October 6th, 2025) – CaribCon, the Caribbean conference celebrating culture, innovation, and creativity, will welcome some of the region’s most influential voices to its inaugural edition in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The event, set to be a dynamic gathering of thought leaders and cultural icons, will feature impactful panel discussions, inspiring and intimate fireside chats and a flow of knowledge from some of the Caribbean’s brightest and best in the creative sector.
Elizabeth “Lady” Montano
Jamaica’s own Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson, celebrated communications specialist, media personality, and global keynote speaker, will headline CaribCon as the official keynote speaker. Known for her ability to connect authentically and inspire audiences worldwide, Dr. Reid will share her insights on Caribbean identity, storytelling, and the power of representation in shaping global narratives. Another highlight of CaribCon will be the presence of Elizabeth “Lady” Montano, mother and former manager of soca superstar Machel Montano. Lady will launch her award-winning book, King of Soca, in which she is positioned as the ultimate insider, chronicling the evolution of one of the Caribbean’s most iconic entertainers. She will also share her invaluable experiences on nurturing talent, building a brand, and sustaining longevity in the competitive music industry in an intimate fireside chat. Adding further star power to the event is Simon Baptiste, CEO of Question Mark Entertainment, co-founder of ODOS, a global collective network spanning over 1000 professionals in 35 countries, film director, talent manager and creative strategist. Baptiste will bring his expertise to conversations on shaping the region’s creative sector and talent.
Simon Baptiste
“CaribCon is where the Caribbean’s voices, ideas, and creativity converge,” says Omega Simmons, founder of CaribCon and CEO of SOS Media. “Having leaders like Terri Karelle, Lady Montano, and Simon Baptiste share their stories and expertise truly embodies the spirit of this event. Their presence reinforces the power of Caribbean culture to inspire and influence on the world stage.” CaribCon will take place at the Shore Club in Providenciales, the Turks and Caicos Islands, from October 23rd to 26th. Attendees can look forward to networking opportunities, panel discussions, and meaningful dialogue to foster an ecosystem that develops the region’s creative sector and propels it onto the global stage.
Sponsors are:
Signature Experience Partners: Ministry of Tourism, Experience Turks and Caicos, and The Shore Club.
Other sponsors: PPID, Invest TCI, InterCaribbean Airways, Subtronic Sounds, Spotlight Communications.
Hotel partners: Ocean Club Resorts, Waterloo Hotel Management, The Somerset on Grace Bay and Ports of Call Resort.
For more information, tickets, and updates, visit www.caribcon.co or follow @caribconhq on all social media platforms.
For more information please email: contact@caribcon.co
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