It seems that every year in the Caribbean we say it’s been a year like no other — but in the age of the pandemic, that’s a guarantee. And if 2020 was defined by the ongoing question of the tourism reopening, much of 2021 was defined by abundant tourism success.

Even amid this unprecedented global circumstance, the vast majority of the Caribbean roared back in 2021, highlighted by a summer that was, for most destinations, the highest-volume tourism season in history, with skyrocketing visitor numbers, surging hotel rates and even higher revenues. It was a bold statement to the rest of the world that the Caribbean isn’t just the world’s leading warm-weather destination; it’s also unquestionably the most resilient place on earth.

The Caribbean cannot be defeated — taking every challenge: storms, pandemics and rising waves and using their energy to power a new future.

With this 2021 edition of the Caribbean Travel Awards, its eighth annual edition, selected by the Caribbean Journal Editorial Staff, we celebrate the people, places and properties that exemplified the best of this magnificent region. — Alexander Britell, Editor and Publisher, Caribbean Journal

Caribbean Destination of the Year: The Bahamas The Bahamas is hot. Blessed with as layered and nuanced a tourism industry as there is in this Caribbean, from the impressive large resorts of Nassau to rugged Out Island outposts, the country has skillfully navigated the seemingly endless speedbumps and challenges of the pandemic, turning its challenges into world-class tourism performance — a trend that, by all accounts, seems poised only to strengthen in the year ahead with a dynamic new energy.