Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, February 3, 2015 – The Cayman Islands collected an impressive array of destination awards in 2014, including several that praised the tropical islands’ dive industry, luxury accommodations and family attractions. These notable accolades were bestowed upon the Cayman Islands by organizations such as TripAdvisor, U.S. News & World Report, Conde Nast Traveller, Yahoo! Travel, Parents Magazine, FlipKey, Caribbean Journal, Scuba Diving Magazine, the National Science Foundation and by the World Travel Awards.

“The people of the Cayman Islands should truly be proud to have our country recognized internationally and heralded for the multidimensional product offering and service,” shared Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism Hon. Moses Kirkconnell. “As 2014 numbers have demonstrated, the spirit of Caymankind has shown throughout the past year, surrounding visitors to our islands with phenomenal customer service, exceptional experiences in our pristine waters and at our land based attractions. The efforts of our diverse tourism market both in government and the private sector to continually promote the Cayman Islands as the best destination in the Caribbean are fortified with this continuing level of global recognition. We look forward to what 2015 will bring.”

From TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards, the Cayman Islands won third place in the “Top 10 Islands of the Caribbean” category while Seven Mile Beach won third place for “Top 25 Best Beaches in the World.” The organization also praised the Caribbean Club as one of the “Top Small Hotels in the Caribbean,” as one of the “Top Luxury Hotels in the Caribbean” and as one of the “Top Hotels for Families in the Caribbean.”

FlipKey, TripAdvisor’s vacation rental company, recognized the Cayman Islands as the “Best Caribbean Vacation Destination in 2014” while the U.S. News & World Report ranked the destination as having the “Best Beaches in the World.” The news organization bestowed the islands with second place awards for “Best Places to Visit in the Caribbean” and “Best Family Vacations in the Caribbean,” as well as a sixth place award for “Best Caribbean Honeymoons” and a seventh place award for “Best Islands in the World.”

In 2014, Yahoo! Travel named the Cayman Islands as the fifth “Most Sought After Destination Wedding Spot in the World” while Parents Magazine recognized the tropical paradise as one of the “10 Best Caribbean Destinations for Families.” Conde Nast Traveller included The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman on its “Gold List” of “The World’s Best Places to Stay” with an impressive tally of 90.2 points for rooms, service, dining, design and activities.

The dive industry received multiple awards from Scuba Diving Magazine including “Best Overall Destination,” “Best Underwater Photography,” “Best Wall Diving,” and “Best Marine Environment,” in addition to awards in several other categories. The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) won a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation in 2014 to facilitate environmental research, education, conservation and outreach. And, in September 2014, the Compass Point Luxury Dive Resort won a special effort award for “Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.”

The Caribbean Journal named the Cayman Islands as the “Destination of the Year” in 2014, while the islands won the prestigious “World’s Leading Dive Destination in 2014” from the World Travel Awards.

“Overall, the Cayman Islands has had a record year in tourism,” said Director of Tourism, Rosa Harris. “In addition to our beautiful beaches and aqua blue waters, we have now been consistently recognized as a Caribbean destination with luxury accommodations, diverse attractions and dining experiences. We can only hope that many travelers have the chance to experience our Caymankind way of life in 2015, while past visitors return to discover new adventures and fall in love with the Cayman Islands all over again.”