Jamaica wins top global industry awards
DESTINATION JAMAICA continues to excel on the world stage and is the winner of three top awards in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Jamaica copped the Best Caribbean Destination title, as voted by Canadian travel agents at Baxter Travel Media’s annual Agents’ Choice Awards Gala, and the World of Cruising Wave Award for Favourite Destination, while the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) won the 2018 TravelAge West WAVE Award for International Tourism Board Providing the Best Travel Agent Support.
Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, Donovan White, welcomes the latest accolades, noting that the destination has much to offer travellers, which is a reason that visitors keep coming back year after year. “Jamaica continues to be a top travel destination for many reasons. Our people are our greatest asset and continue to be a huge draw for those visiting. Not to mention that the destination offers exceptionally delicious cuisine and a diverse range of activities and accommodations that appeal to every type of traveller,” notes the tourism director. “Combined with its rich cultural heritage, fantastic climate and unparalleled hospitality, Jamaica is truly a gem in the Caribbean,” stresses White.
At the Agents’ Choice Awards Gala, organised by Baxter Travel Media, publisher of Canadian
Travel Press and Travel Courier, two of the top travel trade publications in Canada, Jamaica dominated the Best Caribbean Destination category, garnering almost twice the number of votes of the runner-up. More than 5,500 agents voted in 43 categories.
In the United States, the JTB continued its winning tradition and celebrated its most recent accolade, the 2018 TravelAge West WAVE Award in the category of International Tourism Board Providing the Best Travel Agent Support. The award was presented at the TravelAge West WAVE Western Agents’ Votes of Excellence Awards at the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey, California. Other tourism board nominees in the category included Tourism Ireland, Mexico Tourism Board, and Visit Britain.
Travel agent professionals throughout the 15 western states and readers of TravelAge West were invited to vote on the best-ofthe-best from a list of Editor’s Pick award recipients that were chosen after careful review by
TravelAge West Editor-in-Chief Kenneth Shapiro and the editorial team of TravelAge West. Review methods included product analysis, on-site visits, a survey of a select group of travel agents and online research.
In the UK, Jamaica walked away with the prestigious World of Cruising Wave Award for Favourite Destination, beating out finalists Greece and Singapore to win the award. The Wave Awards celebrate excellence in the cruise industry both from a consumer and trade perspective and the winners were presented with their awards at a gala held at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London’s Covent Garden. In the public vote section, more than 64,000 votes were cast to determine the UK’s favourite cruise lines, favourite destination and favourite cruise agent.