Jamaica hosted the region’s biggest travel awards night and then walked away with the biggest prizes. At the World Travel Awards Caribbean and the Americas Gala Ceremony 2026, held at Princess Grand Jamaica in Green Island as the flagship evening of World Travel Week Jamaica, Jamaica was named the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination, while the Jamaica Tourist Board took Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board.
Twenty years at the top
eTurboNews reports the Leading Destination title is Jamaica’s 20th consecutive win, and the Tourist Board honour is its 18th straight year. In total, Jamaica collected 36 regional awards and 18 national honours on the night, according to eTurboNews, while South Florida Caribbean News counted 10 major tourism honours for the destination in its report of the ceremony.
The wins ran deep into the product. The Port of Ocho Rios was named the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Port, the Port of Montego Bay took Leading Home Port, Sangster International Airport won Leading Airport, and Club Mobay took Leading Airport Lounge. Jamaica also won Leading Family Travel Destination, Leading Festival and Event Destination, Leading Cultural Destination and Leading Meetings and Conference Destination, and Rose Hall Great House Tour won Leading Tourist Attraction.
The hotels that carried the flag
Princess Grand Jamaica, the host property, collected Caribbean’s Leading Resort and Caribbean’s Leading Conference Hotel, and its sister property Princess Senses The Mangrove was named Caribbean’s Leading Adult-Only All-Inclusive Resort. The wider winner list included Half Moon as Leading Hotel, GoldenEye as Leading Boutique Resort, Round Hill Hotel and Villas as Leading Villa Resort, Jamaica Inn as Leading Luxury All-Suite Resort, Sandals Resorts International as Leading Hotel Brand and GO! Jamaica Travel with four awards including Leading Destination Management Company.
Why it matters after Melissa
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett called the results a vindication of Jamaica’s recovery after Hurricane Melissa, and a commentary on the resilience of the industry and the partners and workers who rebuilt it. World Travel Awards founder Graham Cooke said it was a privilege to bring the gala to Jamaica and congratulated winners for raising standards across the Caribbean and the Americas.
Bartlett has projected that full tourism recovery could arrive around the middle of 2027, with growth then passing pre-Melissa levels. For now, the message from Green Island is simple: the island that hosted the awards is still the destination the region measures itself against.
Source: World Travel Awards official press release, 2026, eTurboNews, October 2026, South Florida Caribbean News via EIN Presswire, October 17, 2026