MONTEGO BAY, St James – Sandals Resort International (SRI) was the toast of the Caribbean elimination of the World Travel Awards hosted at Sandals Montego Bay on Monday evening.

The winners will go on to the international awards in France later this year.

Chairman of the SRI Group Gordon “Butch” Stewart and his son, Adam, deputy chairman of SRI, copped the Outstanding Leadership in Social Responsibility 2019 award at the stellar tourism event.

SRI walked away with the lion’s share of the awards, which included:

• Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tour Operator 2019, which went to Island Routes;

• The Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort 2019 went to Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa;

• Sandals South Coast, Jamaica copped the Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort 2019;

• The Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand 2019 went to Sandals Resorts International;

• Sandals Grenada walked away with the Caribbean’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort 2019;

• Caribbean’s Most Romantic Resort 2019 was Sandals Grande Antigua; and

• the Caribbean’s Leading Resort 2019 was won by Sandals Barbados.

Among the other winners were Chris Blackwell, who got the Lifetime Achievement Award 2019; the Caribbean’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre 2019 was won by Montego Bay Convention Centre, Jamaica; Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board 2019 went to Jamaica Tourist Board; and Jamaica emerged as the Caribbean’s Leading Destination 2019.

Ahead of the announcements, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, in bringing greetings, hailed the Stewarts for their contribution to the tourism sector in the region.

“The Honourable Dr Gordon “Butch” Stewart, perhaps the most celebrated hotelier and hospitality engineer that this side of the world has seen, and I have to add to his son Adam, who is a true scion of the stock who is walking in his footsteps in a brilliant fashion,” Bartlett said.

Founder of the World Travel Awards, Graham Cooke, also hailed the Stewarts for hosting the event at the Sandals Montego Bay property.

“Let me take one minute to thank our hosts Sandals Montego Bay and to the Stewarts family personally,” Graham said.

Bartlett also thanked Graham for conceptualising the awards programme, which he noted, highlighted the regional tourism sector.

“I must welcome the World Travel Awards to Jamaica for yet another time. And I want to say to Graham Cooke, the founder and the energy behind it, that the world of tourism owes you a debt of gratitude. Because when you were inspired to bring the Oscar of tourism to countries like Jamiaca it gave us a feeling that we could indeed shine for the world to see the lustre of our destination. And I want to thank you for that,” Bartlett said.