Jamaica shines brightly at World Travel Awards

GREEN ISLAND, Hanover — Jamaica captured 39 honours at the 33rd staging of the World Travel Awards, with Sandals Resorts International (SRI) leading the regional winners with an impressive 17. The accolades were announced during a red-carpet ceremony on Sunday night, hosted by Princess Grand Jamaica and Princess Senses The Mangrove in Green Island, Hanover. Sandals maintained its position as a leading force in Caribbean hospitality, extending its record as the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand for the 33rd consecutive year. Among its other major wins, Sandals Ochi was named the Caribbean’s Leading All- Inclusive Resort, while Sandals Dunn’s River secured the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort title, and the Caribbean’s Leading All- Inclusive Family Resort award. Other Sandals and Beaches properties recognised were Sandals St Vincent, Sandals Royal Bahamian, Sandals Royal Barbados, Sandals Royal Curaçao, Beaches Turks and Caicos, Sandals Grenada, Sandals Grand Antigua, and Sandals Grande St Lucian. Regional director of SRI in Jamaica Jeremy Jones described the company’s sustained recognition as an achievement that reflected positively on the country and its people.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett (fifth right) and Director of Tourism Donovan White (fourth right) join members of the Jamaica Tourist Board team during the World Travel Awards held at Princess Hotel in Hanover, Sunday night. (Photo: Horace Hines)

“I think for Sandals Resorts International to be voted Best All-Inclusive Caribbean company for 33 years in a row is a phenomenal achievement for one little company born out of Jamaica 45 years ago,” Jones said. “To me, that speaks volumes for what Jamaica has produced and presented to the Caribbean and to the world,” he added. Jones also credited the company’s workforce, noting that Sandals employs close to 20,000 people across the region, the overwhelming majority of whom are from the Caribbean. “For us to be able to show that you give the Caribbean people the opportunity to show up in a big way, they’ll make you proud every day of the week,” said Jones. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, responding to the company’s performance, said the awards reflected both the strength of the Jamaican tourism product and the sector’s resilience following Hurricane Melissa which hit Jamaica’s western third with devastating effect last October. “It’s a tremendous performance of the destination, and certainly Sandals as a brand was outstanding. No question about it,” Bartlett said. He also pointed to Jamaica’s ability to compete against destinations across the Americas despite the devastation caused by the hurricane, describing the results as evidence of the industry’s resilience. Jamaica’s major wins included the Caribbean’s Leading Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Cultural Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Family Travel Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Festival and Event Destination, and Caribbean’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination, among other honours. The Jamaica Tourist Board also secured the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board award. For the 18th consecutive year, Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay was voted the Caribbean’s Leading Airport, maintaining its long-standing regional distinction. Adventure tourism also featured prominently in Jamaica’s award tally, with Chukka Ocean Outpost winning Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction, while Chukka Caribbean Adventures took home the Caribbean’s Leading Destination Experience award. Hosts Princess Senses The Mangrove and Princess Grand Jamaica also enjoyed success, with the former capturing the Caribbean’s Leading Adult- Only All-Inclusive Resort and Caribbean’s Leading Resort titles. World Travel Awards founder Graham Cooke praised Jamaica’s role as host destination partner for the 2026 regional ceremony, saying the arrangement reinforced the island’s international tourism profile. “Jamaica’s positioning as 2026 World Travel Awards host destination partner cements its stature as one of the world’s most exciting and inspirational tourism destinations,” Cooke said. He also commended the Jamaica Tourist Board for its work in bringing the event to the island. “I don’t believe that I have ever met such a dedicated and hard-working team than the one on the Jamaica Tourism Board,” he said. Cooke noted that the awards recognise excellence across the global travel and hospitality industries, with winners selected following an extensive international voting campaign involving tourism professionals and consumers. His remarks came against a backdrop of continued global travel demand. Citing figures attributed to UN Tourism, Cooke said international tourist arrivals worldwide rose by 9.4 per cent during the first half of 2026, with approximately 900 million international trips recorded between January and June. International arrivals to the Americas increased by two per cent over the corresponding period in 2025, which Cooke described as five times the global average. The annual World Travel Awards recognise outstanding performance across destinations, hotels, attractions, airports, and other tourism-related businesses, providing regional and international exposure for recipients.