The Caribbean’s leading travel brands vied for top honours at a World Travel Awards (WTA) ceremony hosted at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa on Friday 14th September 2012, but it was Jamaica who came out ahead of the pack.
Jamaica’s continuing rise up the global tourism order was acknowledged after it was named “Caribbean’s Leading Destination”. The island’s state-of-the-art infrastructure projects led to it winning a host of awards, including “Caribbean’s Leading Tourism Development Project” (Port of Falmouth), “Caribbean’s Leading Airport” (Sangster International Airport), “Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Port” (Ocho Rios) and Caribbean’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre” (Montego Bay Conference Centre). The island’s hotels earned top nods as well. Caribbean Leading All-Suite Hotel went to Sandals Royal Plantation. Kingston’s Spanish Court in was judged Jamaica’s Leading Business Hotel, while the Caribbean’s Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel award went to Half Moon. The award for Caribbean Leading Boutique Resort went to Goldeneye and Sandals Resorts International was voted Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand.
Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, says the company is “honoured to receive the highest number of awards in Sandals Resorts’ history.” He adds, “We always strive for excellence, and continue to invest in our product so that each year we can be proud to say we are the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand.”
The WTA awards programme, hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the global media, highlights and rewards those travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry over the past year.
A packed delegation of VIPs, senior tourism figures and international media travelled from more than 30 nations to attend WTA’s Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony 2012, hosted by Miss Bahamas Universe 2011 Anastagia Pierre and American actor and comedian Walt Willey. Some of the Caribbean’s finest vocalists, including Shawn Campbell and Elroy Simmons, performed to the packed audience.
It was an evening of travel triumph for nations across the Caribbean. St Lucia won the coveted title of “Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination”, Coco Reef Resort (Tobago) picked up “Caribbean’s Leading Hotel”, whilst Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island (British Virgin Islands) was voted “Caribbean Leading Private Island”.
Buccament Bay Spa & Resort (St Vincent) nudged ahead of The Hotel Chocolat (St Lucia), Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro (Dominican Republic), The Magdalena Grand Beach Resort (Tobago) and Cofresi Palm Beach & Spa Resort (Dominican Republic) to win “Caribbean’s Leading New Hotel”.
Other WTA Grand Tour 2012 regional heats include Dubai (UAE), Algarve (Portugal), and Singapore. The winners of these legs will go head-to-head in WTA’s Grand Final, which takes place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon on 12th December 2012.
CARIBBEAN WINNERS 2012
Caribbean’s Leading Activity Operator- Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Excursion Operator- Dolphin Cove, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Airline- Caribbean Airlines, Trinidad & Tobago
Caribbean’s Leading Airport- Sangster International Airport, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading All-Suite Hotel- Sandals Royal Plantation, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Attraction Company- Island Routes, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination- Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Hotel- Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Resort- GoldenEye Hotel & Resort, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Car Hire-Avis
Caribbean’s Leading Casino Resorts- Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, Bahamas
Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination- Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line Royal Caribbean International
Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Port- Ocho Rios,Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Destination-Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Dive Destination- Cayman Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Family All-Inclusive- Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa, Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading Golf Resort- Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
Caribbean’s Leading Green Resort- Curtain Bluff, Antigua
Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination- St Lucia
Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort-Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Antigua
Caribbean’s Leading Hotel-Coco Reef Resort, Tobago
Caribbean’s Leading Hotel & Residences-The Estate at Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand-Sandals Resorts International
Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Residences-The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort- Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas
Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Hotel- Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort, US Virgin Islands
Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Villa- Amanyara Villas, Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre- Montego Bay Convention Centre, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel- Half Moon, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading New Hotel- Buccament Bay Spa and Resort, St Vincent
Caribbean’s Leading Private Island- Necker Island
Caribbean’s Leading Resort- Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Antigua
Caribbean’s Leading Spa Resort- The Regent Palms, Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination- Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Suite- Grace Bay Penthouse Suite, Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos
Caribbean’s Leading Tour Operator- Barefoot Holidays DMC St. Lucia
Caribbean’s Leading Tourism Development Project Port of Falmouth Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board- Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Travel Agency- Trafalgar Travel
Caribbean’s Leading Villa Residences- Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica
Caribbean’s Leading Villa Resort- Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica
Click HERE to see who made the top lists in the individual islands.
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