Cream of the Caribbean and Americas celebrate in Turks & Caicos

14 September 2012 - London

Leading travel brands from across the Caribbean and Americas have shared top honours at a World Travel Awards ceremony hosted at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa on 14 September 2012.

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, which was supported by Turks & Caicos Tourist Board and Scotiabank.

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”.

Jamaica’s continuing rise up the global tourism order was acknowledged after it was named “Caribbean’s Leading Destination”.

In North America, Las Vegas saw off competition from New York, Miami, San Francisco, Montreal and Vancouver to win the coveted title of “North America’s Leading Destination”. New York won the “North America’s Leading City Break Destination” title, while American Airlines was voted “North America’s Leading Airline”.

Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) was voted “South America’s Leading Destination”, ahead of the likes of Easter Island (Chile), Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) and Machu Picchu (Peru).

Cancun (Mexico) came in ahead of Bay Islands (Honduras), San Jose (Costa Rica), Los Cabos (Mexico) and Granada (Nicaragua) to win the coveted title of “Mexico & Central America’s Leading Destination”. Copa Airlines was named “Mexico & Central America’s Leading Airline”.

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.

Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, underlined the depth and quality of the travel and tourism sector across the Caribbean and the Americas.

He says: “Our winners are also drawn from the breadth of the Caribbean and the Americas, reflecting the strength and depth of the travel and tourism sector in the regions. I am sure these organisations will fare strongly in our Grand Final, which takes place in New Delhi, India on 12 December 2012.”

“The ceremony has also served as a glittering spotlight for Turks & Caicos – a paradise nation that has welcomed a record number of tourist visitors over the past year. This is testament to its overwhelming natural attractions, its luxury hospitality facilities and its rich local heritage.”

Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, says: “We are honoured to receive the highest number of awards in Sandals Resorts’ history. 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.”

Ralph Higgs, Director of Tourism, Turks & Caicos Tourist Board, says: “The Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board congratulates the winners and the nominees for this year’s World Travel Awards. With another 30 nations represented at these awards, we hope that each of you will take a piece of our islands home with you, etched in your memory forever. Congratulations again and we do hope to see you here in the future as we celebrate and acknowledge the brightest and best in the global hospitality industry.”

Rising Caribbean star and the reigning Miss Bahamas, Anastagia Pierre hosted the show with American actor and comedian Walt Willey. Some of the Caribbean’s finest vocalists, including Shawn Campbell and Elroy Simmons, performed to the packed audience.

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.

To see the full list of winners and to download hi-res images visit www.worldtravelawards.com.





Notes to Editors

About World Travel Awards
WTA was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, it is regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could hope to receive.

WTA’s global media partner network includes International Herald Tribune, CNBC Arabiya, Newsweek, ASTA Network, National Geographic Traveller, Access New York, Travel & Leisure China, Khaleej Times, Trade Arabia, TTN, Trav Talk India, Publituris, ABTA Magazine, Outlook Traveller, Breaking Travel News and Travel Daily News International.

This global media partner network has a monthly readership of 1.7 million and a TV audience reach of 90 million.

To view images of the ceremony go to: www.worldtravelawards.com/gallery and for WTA logos visit: www.worldtravelawards.com/logo

For further WTA press info contact Anton Santos:
t: +44 (0)20 7925 0000;
e: [email protected];
w: www.worldtravelawards.com

About Beaches Resorts
With four spectacular locations in Turks & Caicos and Jamaica, Beaches Resorts is the ultimate getaway for every member of the family. With outrageous waterparks, XBOX® 360 Game Garages, the Scratch DJ Academy, exclusive Kids Camps, teen nightclubs, Certified Nannies, Butler service, and Red Lane® Spas, Beaches Resorts provides an unrivaled experience in the Caribbean. As a proud sponsor of Sesame Street, Beaches Resorts also offers the Caribbean Adventure with Sesame Street®, where kids can spend their vacation with their favorite friends from the Sesame Street gang with daily activities and weekly stage shows. Beaches Resorts are also the perfect destination wedding and vow renewal venue, offering unrivaled choices for your most special day and the opportunity for the whole family to celebrate together with FamilyMoons®. For more information, please visit www.beaches.com.

About Turks & Caicos
The 40 islands of the Turks & Caicos, of which eight are inhabited, are renowned for their award-winning beaches, diving and array of world-class resorts. Additional activities include tennis, golf and horseback riding. The islands feature a variety of spas and wellness treatments and are home to the world’s only conch farm. There are daily 90-minute direct flights from Miami, a US Airways direct flight from Charlotte, direct flights from New York, New Jersey, Atlanta and Toronto, with in season flights from Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Montreal and Halifax. For more information on travel, visit the Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board website at www.turksandcaicostourism.com or call (800) 241-0824.

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