This time last year, Jamaicans were bracing for the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that would leave widespread destruction in its wake, including across the island’s tourism industry. Fast forward nearly a year, and Jamaica is once again making international headlines, earning major tourism honours across multiple categories, from hotels and resorts to culture, culinary experiences and cruise tourism.
The recognition is a remarkable testament to Jamaica’s enduring appeal and the strength of a tourism industry still recovering from the hurricane’s impact. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett credits much of that success to the dedication of the country’s tourism workers, whose commitment to delivering quality experiences has helped sustain the industry through challenging times.
Among the latest accolades is Jamaica’s impressive showing in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, where the island climbed into the top five Caribbean and Atlantic destinations, while six Jamaican hotels and resorts earned places among the region’s best
Six Jamaican Hotels and Resorts Earn Regional Recognition
Earlier in October, Condé Nast Traveler published the results of its 39th annual Readers’ Choice Awards, naming Jamaican-owned S Hotel Montego Bay the highest-ranked Caribbean hotel in its Top 10 Hotels in the Caribbean and Central America category.
S Hotel secured the No. 2 position, up from No. 5 in 2025. With a score of 98.56, the property finished just behind Nantipa in Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, which topped the list with 98.86.
The achievement adds to a growing list of international accolades for S Hotel. Earlier in 2026, it was named Best All-Inclusive Caribbean Resort in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. In 2025, it was also recognised as Jamaica’s Leading Hotel for the fourth consecutive year at the World Travel Awards.
Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios also made the Top 10 Hotels in the Caribbean and Central America list, placing eighth with a score of 97.06 and giving Jamaica two entries in the category.
Four other Jamaican properties earned places among Condé Nast Traveler’s Top 40 Resorts in the Caribbean Islands:
- No. 13: Half Moon, Montego Bay
- No. 17: GoldenEye, Oracabessa
- No. 21: Round Hill Hotel and Villas, Montego Bay
- No. 33: Sandals South Coast, Whitehouse
Together, the six properties represent a cross-section of Jamaica’s hospitality industry, from established luxury resorts to boutique hotels, earning recognition alongside some of the region’s leading accommodation providers.
Jamaica also improved its standing as a destination, moving from seventh place in 2025 to fifth in the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards island rankings, with a score of 92.57.
Bermuda topped the Caribbean and Atlantic island rankings with a score of 95.24, followed by St. Lucia (94.17), the British Virgin Islands (94.02) and St. Barts (92.70). Jamaica finished ahead of several other popular destinations, including Turks and Caicos, Antigua, Anguilla, Grenada and Puerto Rico.
The 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards drew more than 798,800 survey responses, reflecting travellers’ experiences across destinations, hotels, resorts and other travel categories.
Jamaica Captures 10 Honours During World Travel Week
On October 11th, 2026, Jamaica again earned international recognition at the World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony, held at Princess Grand Jamaica in Negril. The island secured seven honours that evening, followed by three more across two other ceremonies during World Travel Week Jamaica 2026.
The seven World Travel Awards honours were:
- Caribbean’s Leading Destination
- Caribbean’s Leading Cultural Destination
- Caribbean’s Leading Festival & Event Destination
- Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board – Jamaica Tourist Board
- Caribbean’s Leading Family Travel Destination
- Caribbean’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination
- Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination
On October 12th, Jamaica added Caribbean’s Best MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) Destination and Caribbean’s Best Cruise Destination at the World MICE/Cruise/Travel Tech Awards. The island was also named Caribbean’s Best Culinary Destination at the World Culinary Awards, bringing its total to 10 destination honours.
Several Jamaican tourism businesses and attractions also received individual recognition, including Half Moon, named Caribbean’s Leading Hotel; Sangster International Airport, named Caribbean’s Leading Airport; Rose Hall Great House Tour, named Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Attraction; Club MoBay, named Caribbean’s Leading Airport Lounge; and GO! Jamaica Travel, named Caribbean’s Leading Travel Agency.
Director of Tourism Donovan White said the 10 honours reflected the strength of Jamaica’s destination brand and the diversity of experiences available to visitors. He also welcomed the recognition of tourism partners across accommodation, attractions, travel services and aviation, describing it as evidence of the industry’s depth of talent and excellence.
The results build on Jamaica’s performance at the 2025 World Travel Awards, when the island was named Caribbean’s Leading Destination, Caribbean’s Leading Family Travel Destination and Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board, alongside the global title of World’s Leading Family Travel Destination.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett Receives Lifetime Achievement Honour
It was not only Jamaica’s hotels, attractions and visitor experiences earning international recognition. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was also honoured for his contributions to the development of the global tourism industry.
On October 16th, 2026, Bartlett received the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) Lifetime Achievement Award in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality at Jamaica’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City.
Presented as part of MIPAD’s Global Top 100 Travel, Tourism & Hospitality, Class of 2026, the award recognised Bartlett’s longstanding work in tourism resilience, sustainable development, international collaboration and strengthening connections with the African diaspora.
Bartlett, who was first announced as an honouree in July, described the award as one he shared with the Jamaican people.
“Receiving this Lifetime Achievement Award is a tremendous honor, one that I share with the people of Jamaica, whose spirit and resilience continue to inspire the world,” he said.
He also emphasised tourism’s wider contribution to society, describing it as a force for connecting cultures, creating opportunities and transforming lives.
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International Recognition Amid Recovery
The scale of Jamaica’s achievements is particularly significant given that the island is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. While the awards do not mean recovery is complete, they underscore Jamaica’s continued international appeal and the commitment of the people working to rebuild and sustain its tourism industry.
Bartlett acknowledged those contributions while welcoming Jamaica’s World Travel Awards success.
“These World Travel Awards reflect the strength, diversity and resilience of Jamaica’s tourism sector. They recognize not only the excellence of our hotels, attractions and tourism partners, but also the people whose commitment to service continues to shape the visitor experience,” he said.
Together, the honours highlight Jamaica’s continued presence on the global tourism stage, from the quality of its hospitality offerings to efforts to build an industry that creates opportunities for communities, celebrates cultural heritage and strengthens connections across borders.
