For the second consecutive year, Ambergris Caye has been selected as the number one island in the world in the 2014 Traveler’s Choice Island Awards by TripAdvisor. The good news was revealed by the travel review organization on the 19th of February. Along with Ambergris Caye’s accolades, other hotels and resorts from various parts of the country of Belize was also recognized as top places in the region.
Ambergris Caye Is largest Belize Island
The stunning Ambergris Caye is the largest populated island in Belize. It is located in the northern waters of Belize and anchored less than a mile west from the regional Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. TripAdvisor says that Ambergris Caye hovers in a vacation sweet spot, with just the right amenities to make it exciting, but not so overdeveloped that you are tripping over flip-flopped tourists.
Right on the eye of this white beach island is a mangrove swamp, which is the largest in the country, and golf carts are the main form of transportation along its sandy roads. Reef divers are excited over the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world next to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and the Blue Hole, a 400-feet deep circle of limestone that teems with cleaner shrimp, elk horn coral, angelfish and stalactites.
The island is a perfect getaway for tourists who flock the country in what is fast becoming a growing destination in the region. After the announcement of the award, Belize’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Honorable Manual Heredia said that the recognition is the fruits of hard work by the industry stakeholders coupled with satisfied guests. On behalf of the country, he said that they are honored of the recognition Ambergris Caye is once again given, and is glad that the commitment and love they have invested in this industry has not gone unnoticed.
Belize Can Compete With Any Destination In The World
Amazingly, Ambergris Caye topped other islands like Bora Bora in the Society Islands, Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, and even the Thailand Gulf of Surat Thani Province, Easter Island in Chile and Ko Tao, Naxos in Cyclades Marco Island in Florida, and Lewis and Harris in Outer Hebrides. The town of San Pedro, the largest community in Ambergris Caye, placed seventh, while the southern coast community of Placencia landed on the tenth spot in the best destinations in the Central American Region. Antigua Guatemala was voted the top Central American destination in the same region.
In a statement, Manual Heredia extended gratitude for the great partnership that they have enjoyed with their stakeholders, applauding their dedication to the standards that they keep setting not only for Belize, but also for the global tourism industry. He is also thankful to the travelers for sharing their wonderful experiences with the Trip Advisor community. After all, without the visitors, this award would not have been possible.
In January, during its annual industry presentation held in Corozal, the Belize Tourism Board announced that Belize tourism numbers are growing. Such growth in tourism, they said, is an indication that more and more people are viewing Ambergris Caye and Belize as a growing destination that is able to compete with any destination in the world.