Seychelles has won the World’s Most Romantic Destination title for the second consecutive year at the 28th World Travel Awards, the Tourism Department said Thursday.

The island nation came in first in the romance category ahead of other nominees which included Antigua & Barbuda, the Atacama Desert, Chile, Bali, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Maldives, Mauritius, Saint Lucia, the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands.

The Principal Secretary for Tourism, Sherin Francis said that this award reinforces Seychelles’ prominent position in today’s competitive market.

“It has huge significance, and we are pleased to be recognised for going above and beyond for our clients and we strive to make the country one which visitors will have engraved in their memory,” she added.

The department said that it is no surprise that the Seychelles islands have been crowned the world’s most romantic destination.

“Its outstanding and exotic beauty and commitment to privacy woo couples from all over the globe seeking the ideal destination to tie the knot or to spend a romantic honeymoon; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin are amongst those who chose to honeymoon in idyllic Seychelles,” said the Department.

The World Travel Awards, which was established in 1993, acknowledges, rewards and celebrates excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, and is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.

The awards are presented across three tiers: country, regional and world awards and the voting process is online and a year-long communications campaign encourages global participation.

The votes come from qualified executives working within travel and tourism and the consumer travel buyer.