The red carpet evening was hosted at Sandals Grand St Lucian
Top honours for Jamaica as tourism industry elites and aspirants to the title of being the finest from across the Caribbean and the Americas region gathered in Saint Lucia for World Travel Awards ceremony, which marked the beginning of the 30th anniversary Grand Tour of WTA.
According to a press statement by WTA, the red carpet evening was hosted at Sandals Grand St Lucian. Jamaica walked away with multiple honours, bagging ‘Caribbean’s Leading Destination’, as well as ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination’ and ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’.
Turks & Caicos was voted ‘Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination’, while the Bahamas took the title of ‘Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination’.
Canada was named ‘North America’s Leading Destination’, whilst Miami Beach claimed the title of ‘North America’s Leading City Destination’ and Seattle claimed ‘North America’s Leading Meeting & Conference Destination’.
The Mexican resort of Tulum, with its great beaches, lush jungles and Mayan ruins, was named ‘Mexico & Central America’s Leading Beach Destination’. Costa Rica picked up the top prize for ‘Mexico & Central America’s Leading Destination’.
Peru was voted ‘South America’s Leading Destination’, whilst its cutting-edge gastronomy was recognised with ‘South America’s Leading Culinary Destination’. The romantic charms of San Carlos de Bariloche were acknowledged as the Argentine resort picked up ‘South America’s Leading Honeymoon Destination.’
“It has been a privilege to start our 30th anniversary celebrations on the beautiful island of Saint Lucia, which has hosted an incredible ceremony featuring the leading lights of travel from across the Caribbean and Americas. Our winners are stellar examples of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each and every one for helping to raise the collective benchmark,” says Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards.
The breadth and depth of Saint Lucia’s tourism offerings was reinforced with three key awards as it was named ‘Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’, ‘Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Destination’ and ‘Caribbean’s Leading Nature Destination’.
“We take immense pride in hosting the 30th annual World Travel Awards Caribbean and the Americas Gala Ceremony, an event that truly highlighted Saint Lucia’s remarkable hospitality and rich cultural heritage. Being honoured with three significant accolades that will undoubtedly enhance our marketing endeavours is a source of great honour. This recognition serves to further strengthen our standing as a premier destination and serves as a motivating force to continue providing unparalleled world-class experiences to global travellers, spanning adventure, romance, and the wonders of nature,” says Ernest Hilaire, Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture & Information, of Saint Lucia.
