Barbados among top Caribbean and Atlantic islands

Barbados has been named among the top five best islands in the Caribbean and Atlantic in the just-released 2022 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, and chief executive officer of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) Dr Jens Thraenhart sees the ranking as a recognition that the country has more to offer than sun, sea and sand.

The island was fifth out of the top 20 islands by readers of the award-winning luxury and lifestyle travel magazine, with a score of 87.92.

The category was led by St Barts, followed by Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda.

“It’s a great honour to be recognised as the only southern Caribbean island in that prestigious list that high up, and also ranking above other Caribbean islands that you may expect further up, but I think it speaks to the fact that Barbados has more to offer than just beaches,” Dr Thraenhart told Barbados TODAY after the award list was released on Tuesday, as the island and its offerings were marketed at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) 40th Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Puerto Rico.

“We have the Food and Rum Festival now, we have Crop Over, but also … there is culture, there is heritage, you can have a rainforest experiencae, you could surf on the East Coast, you can have diverse restaurants of all types – from high-end to community and rum shops and all that.

“And I think all of that together is something that travellers are looking for today. They’re looking to connect with communities. They want to have mindful and purposeful trips, and they don’t just want to be at the beach. While the beach is still important – and when we do look at sentiment analysis Barbados ranks extremely high globally when it comes to beaches – but I think it can’t be just about beaches alone. And I think that survey recognises the fact that Barbados has more to offer than just beaches alone.”

The other 15 islands rounding up the top 20 were St. Lucia, Jamaica, Nevis, Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St Kitts, The Bahamas, United States Virgin Islands, Aruba, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Bonaire, Dominican Republic, and Curaçao.

The 35th annual Readers’ Choice Awards captured the travel experiences the magazine’s readers love best.

Sandy Lane claimed a place among the region’s best resorts in this year’s awards, listed ninth in the top 40 resorts in the Caribbean islands.

Condé Nast described the 112-room resort, which received a score of 97.36, as “something of a Bajan institution”. (DP)