There’s a dynamism in the Caribbean now, a movement. The region is at once reinventing itself and delving even deeper into the beauty of its traditions and its culture. There are new hotels, new restaurants, new destinations and new ideas. It’s a wonderful thing for travelers and for the millions of people who benefit every day from the region’s most powerful economic driver. And, more importantly, the Caribbean is putting the challenges of 2017 far into the rear-view mirror.

And with this momentous fifth annual edition of the Caribbean Travel Awards, we again celebrate the best of Caribbean travel, from the hotels and destinations that are surging to the people who are making a difference every day, with our editorial team of the world’s leading Caribbean travel experts scouring the region to select the winners.

“This is an exciting time in the Caribbean,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal. “The region’s tourism offering has never been more diverse or more energetic. It’s a message to the world that the Caribbean isn’t just back — it’s better than ever.”

Congratulations to the all of the winners of the 2018 Caribbean Travel Awards!

Abaco in The Bahamas.

Caribbean Destination of the Year: The Bahamas While several destinations have particularly strong growth in 2018, none has been more impressive — or more broadly impactful — than The Bahamas. That’s because while the destination has seen surging airlift growth (and a powerful increase in arrivals thanks to the full-fledged debut of the Baha Mar megaresort), this year has seen something unique for the destination: universal growth. That means growth that has been felt beyond the traditional pole of Nassau and New Providence. Indeed, islands across the Out Islands (and, crucially, Grand Bahama) are seeing strong growth — a clear sign that The Bahamas’ tourism growth is being realized across 700 islands and cays. And that’s a very powerful thing.