07/03/2026
JAMAICA JUST DID IT AGAIN AND WE'RE SCREAMING FROM THE ROOFTOPS!
On March 4th at ITB Berlin, the world's LARGEST travel trade show, Jamaica was crowned "DESTINATION OF THE YEAR" at the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association International Travel Awards! But that's not even the full story... we didn't just win one award, we took home six!
🏆 Destination of the Year
🏆 Tourism Minister of the Year Worldwide (Hon. Edmund Bartlett)
🏆 Excellence in Hospitality Innovation (Christopher Issa)
🏆 Excellence in Hospitality in the Caribbean (Mureen James)
Plus:
we're still the Caribbean's Leading Destination for the 19th time, won 45 major awards at the 2025 World Travel Awards, and the Jamaica Tourist Board has been named Caribbean's Leading Tourist Board for the 17th consecutive year! Seventeen!
HERE'S WHAT MAKES THIS MOMENT SO POWERFUL:
Minister Bartlett said it perfectly "This award belongs to our workers, our partners, and every stakeholder who makes our island a world class destination." That's right! This isn't about fancy resorts or marketing budgets, this is about the people! The taxi driver who shares stories with warmth, the jerk vendor whose food tastes like love, the tour guide who treats every visitor like family, the hotel worker who remembers your name, the artisan crafting beauty with their hands!
Jamaica's winning because we're doing tourism differently! We're investing in community tourism so when visitors come, their money reaches local farmers, artisans, and small business owners. Whether someone's touring Blue Mountain coffee farms or experiencing reggae history in Trench Town, they're getting real, authentic Jamaica, not some watered-down tourist version!
And the results? Jamaica welcomed its 5 MILLIONTH visitor in 2025 and earned $5 billion in tourism revenue! That's jobs, infrastructure, opportunities, and futures being built! That's families being fed! That's dreams coming true!
TO EVERY JAMAICAN READING THIS:
Whether you work in tourism or not, this award belongs to YOU! Our culture, our warmth, our creativity, our resilience, our food, our music, our spirit that's what makes Jamaica irresistible! A tiny island of 3 million people competing against the entire world and coming out on top? That's not just tourism success, that's proof that Jamaica punches way above its weight in everything we do!
The world looked at every destination on this planet and said "Jamaica, you are the one!" And honestly? They're absolutely right!
Comment below if this made your chest swell with Jamaican PRIDE! Let's celebrate this incredible moment together!
