FOR the sixth consecutive year, Sandals and Beaches Resorts have emerged the preferred all-inclusive resorts among Canadian travel agents.

In an annual readership survey conducted by Canada's leading travel trade publications - Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier - the Jamaican-based luxury all-inclusive chain Sandals/Beaches Resorts International was adjudged top hotel chain by an overwhelming majority of the travel agents who participated in the "2005 Agents' Choice Awards" poll.

With a total of 2,208 points, Sandals received several hundred more points than second-place contender Riu Hotels and more than doubled the score of SuperClubs. When combined with its Beaches brand Sandals amassed a total of 2,866 points.

"We are thrilled to receive this incredible honour again this year," said Gary C Sadler, director of sales & marketing, Canada, Unique Vacations Inc.

"I want to thank our travel agent partners for their ongoing commitment to Sandals and Beaches Resorts. We are the only Caribbean resort company to have sales managers right across Canada supporting travel agents day in and day out," Sadler said.

In the national survey, Canadian travel agents were asked to choose their top three favourite resort groups in the all-inclusive category. Votes were weighted accordingly: three points for a first-place vote, two for second and one for third. This year's survey reflected a staggering 70 per cent increase in total votes cast.

Sandals Resorts is the largest operator of ultra all-inclusive luxury resorts in the Caribbean. Sandals has a total of 14 couples-only properties: seven in Jamaica (including the brand-new Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa on the island's undiscovered South Coast and Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort), three in St Lucia, one in Antigua, one in Nassau, Bahamas and two in Varadero, Cuba.

Beaches Resorts, a part of the Sandals family, welcomes singles, couples and families of all ages. There are five Beaches resorts: two in Negril, Jamaica, one in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, one in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos and one in Varadero, Cuba ( which is for adults 16 years and older).

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