NEW DELHI, 15 December 2023: Minister of Tourism, Honourable Edmund Bartlett received two major awards for Jamaica from the prestigious World Travel Awards, which is in its 30th year, at the landmark Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Jamaica has won big at the World Travel Awards 2023, triumphing in two of the most prestigious categories – ‘World’s Best Cruise Destination’ and ‘World’s Best Family Destination’; solidifying the Caribbean country’s position as a premier global tourist destination. The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) was also named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’.
The awards come as local tourism officials are basking in a Gallup report that ranked Jamaica among the safest countries in the world.
Donovan White, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, said: “These prestigious awards are a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing an unparalleled travel experience. We are grateful for the recognition bestowed upon us by the World Travel Awards and are dedicated to continuing our efforts to showcase Jamaica’s unique charm to the world.”
Bartlett also as a Founder and Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), a thinktank based in Jamaica, handed out five Global Tourism Resilience Awards to two major Middle East corporations and three countries.
The Global Tourism Resilience awards, presented by Minister Bartlett, was for entities and countries that have demonstrated global leadership, pioneering vision and innovation to overcome critical challenges and adversity.
In a recent House of Representatives meeting held in Jamaica on December 12, the Ministry of Tourism estimated that Jamaica should record 4,122,100 visitor arrivals for the period January to December 2023. This would represent a 23.7 per cent increase over the 2022 figure. This continues the spectacular growth pattern of tourism, both in terms of visitor arrivals as well as for earnings.
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About Jamaica Tourist Board
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. JTB offices are also located in Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in New Delhi, Mumbai, Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Paris. In 2022, Jamaica topped the World Travel Awards across multiple categories, most notably as the winner of Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Destination and JTB as the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board.