The 22^nd anniversary of the World Travel Awards will be celebrated this year; as expected, Costa Rica received many nominations within the Mexico and Central American Region category. Of special note is the return of Jaco Beach as a Leading Beach Destination for international travelers.

Other nominations related to Costa Rica include: the Costa Rica Convention Bureau for its work in transforming our country into a Leading Meetings & Conference Destination, the Tourism Board (Spanish initials: ICT) for its work as a Leading Tourism Board, and the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) as a Leading Airport for travelers.

Jaco Beach is no stranger to international awards. As reported by The Costa Rica Star in November 2013:

At the recent World Travel Market fair in London, representatives from the national tourism boards of Central America and Mexico were anxiously waiting to hear the name of their respective countries called to receive the prestigious World Travel Award for best beach destination. Nominated for Costa Rica was Jaco Beach, a place that not long ago was pejoratively known as “Gringo Beach.”

 

Located in the province of Puntarenas, Jaco Beach has enjoyed being considered the darling beach of Costa Rica on and off from about the late 1970s to the 21st century. The dejection of derisively being called Gringo Beach began in the late 20th century due to the town’s reputation as a magnet for seedy nightlife activity, which was mostly given patronage by tourists from the United States. Things are changing, however, and Jaco Beach and the surrounding communities of Playa Herradura and Playa Hermosa are once again enjoying status as the crown jewels of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

The World Travel Awards™ was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the World Travel Awards™ brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

The annual program is renowned as the most prestigious and comprehensive in the travel and tourism industry. In 2014, over 650,000 individual votes were cast by travel professionals and high-end tourism consumers.

All regional winners then compete head to head in a final round of voting to decide who will triumph in the World Travel Awards™ world awards – the ultimate accolade in the travel and tourism industry. The winners are announced on the night of the World Travel Awards™ Grand Final at the end of the year.