2015 World Travel Awards
The night proved to be a high-profile, red carpet affair as Bogota, Columbia welcomed travel dignitaries from around the globe to celebrate this year’s World Travel Awards (WTA). First-time winner Belize took not one but two top spots in the Mexico and Central America categories.
Ambergris Caye was named the Leading 2015 Destination and Placencia, the area’s Leading Beach Destination in 2015. For a young nation with a fledgling tourism industry, winning one award is big news–but two on the same night? Cause for celebration.
While Ambergris Caye, Placencia, Bladen Nature Reserve and the Belize Tourism Board all placed highly in other World Travel Award categories, the stars of the night were Ambergris Caye and Placencia, winning over 2,700 influential travel professional judges and getting the most number of votes in each category.
On hand to accept accolades was Mr. Einer Gomez, Vice Chairman of the Belize Tourism Board’s Board of Directors, and his wife. Gomez hadn’t expected to make an acceptance speech–but hoped he might–so being called to the podium twice before the travel industry’s most prominent movers and shakers proved a heady experience.
Graciously accepting the Placencia award, Gomez told attendees that this vibrant area is known as the “Barefoot Perfect” center of Belize. “We owe this honor to countless numbers of stakeholders who work tirelessly to make Placencia a friendly, safe and entertaining place to visit,” he told the crowd.
Contributing to this award are the resorts that make Placencia such a popular destination. Accommodations like Chabil Mar, a luxury resort that is no stranger to winning awards and earning traveler accolades, expects to see brisk traffic driven, in part, by Placencia’s newfound notoriety. Known for gorgeous suites, lavish amenities and one of the most accommodating staffs in Belize, Chabil Mar is typical of resorts that helped Placencia take the 2015 World Travel Award for top beach destination.
When Gomez heard the WTA awards night host announce that Ambergris Caye had taken the Leading Destination prize for 2015, he was almost speechless, but recovered his composure fast by thanking the people of Belize and tourism industry, each of whom stands committed to “day-in and-day-out to quality customer service.”
He concluded his remarks with this generous tribute to everyone within the Belize hospitality community: “Your hard work and dedication to sharing Belize with the world has clearly not gone unnoticed.”
What do these prestigious accolades mean for Belize tourism? Plenty. The World Travel Awards is one of the most influential international industry competitions on the planet and has been for 22 years. Awardees are cited for pushing the boundaries of excellence and going above and beyond what’s expected of them to stand out from other nominees.
Beating out other destinations shows that Belize is living up to its growing reputation for being the hottest emerging Caribbean destination in the hemisphere. Since both Placencia and Ambergris Caye were singled out for top prizes, tourism is likely to increase by leaps and bounds, reason enough to prompt the Belize Tourism Board to invest in a very large trophy case sooner, rather than later!
Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning your 2016 Belize vacation.
