Turks and Caicos wins big at 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board is thrilled to announce that three island destinations won USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and three more have been recognized as “10Best” in their categories.
Winners from the Turks and Caicos Islands were:
- Royal Turks and Caicos Golf Club – Best Golf Course in the Caribbean
- The Sands at Grace Bay – Best Resort in the Caribbean, and
- Hemingway’s – Best Restaurant in the Caribbean
Meanwhile, other placers were:
- Da Conch Shack – 6th Best Beach Bar in the Caribbean
- The Shore Club – 10th Best Resort in the Caribbean
- Grace Bay Beach – 8th Best Beach in the Caribbean
For the USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, travel experts chose the top 20 nominees in each category and asked the public to vote daily for their favourites. The 2023 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards were decided after four weeks of voting.
“The results of USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards showcase that the Turks and Caicos Islands and its entities stand out to both travel experts as well as to general visitors to our islands. And this is further emphasized by our islands having 6 nominees across 5 of the 7 categories – and winning 3 of categories”, said Acting Director of Tourism, Mary Lightbourne. “We are extremely proud that 3 entities in the Turks and Caicos Islands were voted as winners and we thank those who took their time to vote for all of our nominees”, added Lightbourne.
After an amazing year in 2022, this is a good start for tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2023. Tripadvisor data showed that in Fall 2022, the Turks and Caicos Islands were the world’s top trending travel destination, with the fastest growing demand from year to year. In August, the Turks and Caicos Islands won two awards at the World Travel Awards’ Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony. They were named the Caribbean’s Leading Beach Destination and the Caribbean’s Most Romantic Destination. The Turks and Caicos Islands were then nominated for three of the top World Travel Awards: World’s Leading Island Destination, World’s Most Romantic Destination, and World’s Leading Beach Destination. Then, in October, for the 2022 Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, the Turks and Caicos Islands were voted the #3 Island in the Caribbean and The Atlantic, and resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands took 9 of the top 15 spots for the Top 15 Resorts in the Atlantic Islands category, including the top spot, which went to COMO Parrot Cay.
In addition to winning the USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, the Turks and Caicos Islands and 20 of its resorts have been nominated for Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards. This is a great start to tourism in 2023.
“It is evident that the momentum of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ tourism industry in 2022 has carried over into 2023. For this, I thank all of our tourism stakeholders who work tirelessly to continue to elevate the Turks and Caicos Islands’ tourism product to greater heights”, stated Minister of Tourism, Hon. Josephine Connolly. “With our plans for tourism in 2023, the year looks to be extremely promising and exciting. We encourage all Turks and Caicos Islanders, as well as residents and visitors of these islands to facilitate this momentum increasing by voting for the Turks and Caicos Islands in the 2023 Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards” added Hon. Connolly.
Voting for Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2023 will be live until Monday, February 27, 2023, and the results will be published in Travel and Leisure’s August issue, as well as on their official website. Votes can be cast online.