KINGSTON, Jamaica — Less than two months after Jamaica swept the World Travel Awards in Portugal, the island nation scored big at the 2019 Travvy Awards held in New York City last night taking five major awards.

The awardees included Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who won the inaugural Chairman’s Award for Global Tourism Innovation.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) won the best Tourist Board in the Caribbean award. Jamaica also won: Best Wedding destination; Best Honeymoon destination; and Best Culinary destination; to thunderous applause from the packed hall of primarily American travel industry stakeholders.

Jamaica’s team of officials was led by Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor/Strategist at the ministry, and Donnie Dawson, Deputy Director of Tourism, the Americas and other JTB managers.

Bartlett was recognised with the inaugural Chairman’s Award for Global Tourism Innovation for the development of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC). The award was collected by Seiveright, on his behalf as he was attending the international tourism trade fair, FITUR, in Spain as well as concluding negotiations with two new hotel brands set to develop in Jamaica.

Balford Henry