The Bahamas and Saint Lucia were awarded winners of the Caribbean Destination Resilience Awards during the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 2024 Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The award, launched three years ago, is given to locations that have a conscious focus on resilience, as demonstrated by their commitment to addressing some or all of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) 17 sustainable development goals.

The Bahamas won the award in the big tourism destination category, which recognizes destinations with significant stopover visitor arrivals surpassing US$500,000.

Aruba and Puerto Rico were the category’s runners-up.

Chester Cooper, the Bahamas’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, told Loop News that he was pleased to see the government and stakeholders’ efforts honored.

“This is phenomenal and a great tribute to our stakeholders in The Bahamas and Team Tourism. We have worked very hard and as a result we are being recognised by our peers. I am overjoyed,” he remarked.

St Lucia beat out Bonaire and St Marteen to win the small destination category.

Richard Moss, Senior Sales Manager for the St Lucia Tourism Authority, told Loop News that developing the island’s tourism product to where it is today required a lot of effort.

Moss stated, “This award is amazing. In St Lucia, we are a growing destination and we understand the business of tourism and hospitality. And as a public sector organisation working without private sector partners is really invaluable. We get some of our very good ideas from them and it has really helped us. We’ve held hands throughout the pandemic and we have made it out. And not only have we become resilient, but we have also grown.”