The International Caribbean World Awards have become the Oscars of the Caribbean and the awards recognise excellence in travel, tourism and property throughout the Caribbean region, and accolades are voted for by the readers of Caribbean World Magazine.

Quite simply, the awards are a unique chance for admirers to celebrate companies and individuals who have made a real difference to the Caribbean region over the past year.

The Caribbean World Personality of the Year Award is awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting the region through their personal efforts and actions. Previous winners include Butch Stewart, CEO of Sandals and Carole Guntley Brady of the Jamaican Tourist Board.

“The prestigious Caribbean World Awards are now in their 19th year and continue to reward and recognise the people and the places which make the Caribbean so successful.” commented Ray Carmen, publisher of the celebrated magazine.

Petra has always been a passionate advocate of Barbados and believes that one has to always find innovative ways to keep interest and investment to Barbados fresh.

She sits on the Board of The Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship in Jamaica which is a hub for aspiring entrepreneurs and offers practical help to develop strong business skills as well as exposure to networks and financial and investment opportunities. She is also a Board Director for Sport for Life which seeks to positively influence the lives of kids from a challenging background in the UK and the Caribbean through sport. The Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s UK chapter is another board she is actively involved with.

Petra commented: “The secret for me is finding a way to create a legacy with our exciting initiatives while at the same time, giving something valuable back to the community. If we invest in our youth and provide them with enough opportunities, we can ensure that the Caribbean region will continue to grow and dominate the world stage by producing world class personalities in every field, be it sports, arts, culture or business.”