Jamaica Wins Top Accolades at World Travel Awards 2020

Efforts by various government ministries and tourism partners to introduce robust COVID-19 health and safety protocols to facilitate the safe re-opening of the tourism sector continue to bear fruit as Jamaica has been named the World’s Leading Family, Cruise and Wedding Destination at the 27th annual World Travel Awards. Several leading Jamaican tourism entities have also won major accolades.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, expressed appreciation for the accolades secured by the destination, stating: “We are indeed quite pleased that Jamaica has been recognized by the World Travel Awards for three top honors and that several local tourism entities have won big as well. This year has been a very challenging one and these awards are a testament to the hard work our industry has put in to safely re-open our destination with strict protocols to safeguard the health and well-being of our citizens, industry workers and visitors alike.”

“I was particularly heartened to learn that we received the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, as we are currently working with our regional and international stakeholders to see how we can safely re-start cruise, which is an integral part of the local economy,” he added.

The winners were announced at a virtual ceremony on November 27, 2020, from Moscow, after a one-year process of voting on the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands.

During the virtual ceremony Graham Cooke, founder of the World Travel Awards, said the winners, “have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges…The World Travel Awards 2020 program received a record number of votes cast by the public. This shows that the appetite for travel has never been stronger. With hope with the tourism bounce on the horizon, our industry can look forward to a resurgent and bright future.”

This year, more than 270 nominations were put forward across categories including best hotels, airlines, tour operators, cities, resorts and attractions.

The awards won by Jamaica and its tourism partners at the World Travel Awards are:

• World’s Leading Family Destination 2020 (Jamaica)

• World’s Leading Cruise Destination 2020 (Jamaica) 

• World’s Leading Wedding Destination 2020 (Jamaica)

• World’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa 2020 (Fleming Villa at GoldenEye)

• World’s Leading Villa Resort 2020 (Round Hill Hotel & Villas)

• World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company 2020 (Sandals Resorts International)

• World’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort Brand 2020 (Beaches Resorts)

• World’s Leading Caribbean Attraction Company 2020 (Island Routes Caribbean Adventures)

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. It is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence. Its annual program is renowned as the most prestigious and comprehensive in the global industry.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729