All the credit for Barbados earning top tourism awards rests firmly on the hard-working men and women in the industry, says Minister of Tourism and International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill.
Following the arrival of the inaugural Sunrise Airways flight from Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday, the minister responded to Barbados recently topping the 2026 Caribbean’s Ultimate Winter Escape Destinations list, created by digital travel platform Travel And Tour World. To earn the accolade, Barbados beat out destinations like St Lucia, Aruba, Curaçao, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
“What it says is that Barbados as a destination has a very strong brand, a brand that is reflective of the core strategy as it relates to the warmth and the friendliness of our people. It’s reflective of the hard work that men and women who go to work every day and work within the Barbados Tourism Market Inc., and certainly the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, those are the people who make it happen for Barbados,” he said.
Gooding-Edghill said being a top tourism destination was more than having luxury hotels and airlift.
“So that when we celebrate an accomplishment or an award, it is because of the very inspirational journey that we’ve undertaken with respect to the people who make this happen. We can have the best hotels, we can have the most airlift within a particular region, but, at the end of the day, it’s not only about the fact that we have airlift to various destinations, it’s not only about the beautiful buildings we have in hotels, it’s not only about the attractions. It comes down to the people who make it happen, and certainly that award is dedicated as an appreciation to the men and women who come to work and work extra-ordinarily hard to ensure that Barbados continues to maintain its brand within the marketplace. It’s the core component of our brand, and that is our people,” he said.
Last week, during the ceremonial opening of the Royalton Vessence resort in Holetown, St James, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley praised the work of the Ministry of Tourism but cautioned Barbados was not there yet.
Barbados is no stranger to earning tourism and destination awards, having received them for decades. Last year, the World Travel Awards appointed Barbados as the Caribbean’s Leading Wedding Destination for the second year in a row; it was awarded the Best Worldwide Destination at the ITTN (Irish Travel Trade News Awards); the Safest Travel Destination in the Americas and Caribbean by Travel and Tour World and one of the best destinations in the world by National Geographic. (CA)
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