Jamaica has today, World Tourism Day, officially launched World Travel Week Jamaica 2026, a landmark six-day gathering bringing together leaders and organisations from across the international travel, tourism and hospitality industry.
Taking place from 10-15 October 2026 at Princess Resorts in Negril, World Travel Week Jamaica will bring a portfolio of major international awards, industry gatherings and showcases together in one destination, placing Jamaica at the centre of the global tourism conversation.
The launch comes at a significant moment for Jamaica. Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has just co-chaired the World Economic Forum’s inaugural Beyond Tourism Day in Geneva, where leaders from government, business and civil society gathered to examine how tourism can drive resilient growth, economic opportunity and positive impact for destinations and communities.
World Travel Week Jamaica will carry that conversation from Geneva to the Caribbean.
Minister Bartlett said: “World Tourism Day is a moment when our global tourism family reflects not simply on how far we have travelled, but on where we want tourism to take us next.
“Today Jamaica is proud to launch World Travel Week Jamaica. We want to bring the world to Jamaica, but we also want Jamaica to contribute something meaningful to the world.
“Our experience has taught us that tourism must be resilient, inclusive and capable of creating opportunity for the people and communities that make our destinations what they are. World Travel Week gives us the opportunity to celebrate excellence while bringing together the people who can help shape a stronger future for global tourism.
“From Geneva and the World Economic Forum to Negril and World Travel Week, that is the conversation Jamaica is determined to help lead.”
The programme brings together nine major international platforms spanning travel, tourism technology, MICE, cruise, culinary tourism, social media, villas and tourism resilience.
The week will include:
World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony, taking place on 11 October, bringing together leading destinations, hotels, airlines, tourism organisations and travel brands from across the Caribbean and the Americas.
World MICE Awards, celebrating excellence across the global meetings, incentives, conferences and events sector.
World Travel Tech Awards, recognising organisations and innovators transforming travel through technology.
World Cruise Awards, celebrating achievement across the international cruise sector.
The World MICE Awards, World Travel Tech Awards and World Cruise Awards are scheduled to hold their 2026 gala ceremonies at Princess Grand Jamaica on 12 October.
World Social Media Awards will follow on 13 October, with the inaugural global awards celebrating social media excellence across sectors and markets around the world.
World Culinary Awards will take place on 14 October, recognising excellence across the international culinary industry and placing Jamaica’s own food culture alongside some of the world’s leading culinary destinations and brands.
The programme will also feature the World Villa Awards, the 10 Best Showcase and the Global Tourism Resilience Awards, further broadening World Travel Week beyond traditional tourism into the different sectors increasingly shaping the visitor economy.
At the heart of the programme will be tourism resilience, an area in which Jamaica has become an increasingly prominent international advocate through the work of Minister Bartlett and the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.
The Global Tourism Resilience Awards will recognise people, businesses, organisations and communities demonstrating the ability to anticipate, respond to and emerge stronger from disruption.
Graham Cooke, Founder of World Travel Awards, said: “World Travel Week represents the natural evolution of what we have spent more than three decades building through World Travel Awards.
“Travel is no longer a collection of separate industries. Hospitality connects with technology, aviation with destinations, food with culture, social media with the way people discover the world, and resilience underpins all of them. For one week in Jamaica we are bringing those worlds together.
“There could be no more appropriate day to launch World Travel Week than World Tourism Day, and no more appropriate destination than Jamaica. Jamaica has an extraordinary tourism story, an extraordinary global brand and, through Minister Bartlett’s leadership on resilience, an increasingly important voice in the debate about the future of our industry. From 10 to 15 October, the eyes of the travel industry will be on Jamaica.”
Jamaica Tourist Board’s official events calendar lists World Travel Week from 10-15 October at Princess Grand Jamaica in Negril.
World Travel Week also follows immediately after the WTTC Global Summit in Malta from 7-9 October, creating an opportunity for international tourism leaders to continue the global industry conversation in Jamaica.
Minister Bartlett has invited tourism ministers, destination leaders, private-sector executives, entrepreneurs, academics, technology innovators, hospitality leaders and representatives of communities across the Caribbean and internationally to participate.
“Jamaica does not simply want to host the tourism industry,” Minister Bartlett added. “We want to help shape its future.”
World Travel Week Jamaica 2026
10-15 October 2026
Princess Resorts, Negril, Jamaica
