Bermuda has been voted the best island in the Caribbean and Atlantic region by readers of a prestigious travel magazine.

The Island topped last year?s winner St. John, in the US Virgin Islands, as the most favoured destination by those who took part in the 2006 Conde Nast Traveller magazine survey.

And The Reefs resort and Waterloo House hotel also hit the top three in their respective categories. In his first overseas engagement as the new Tourism Minister, David Burch found himself in company with celebrity guests including Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson and Diane Kruger at a black tie event in New York where the awards were announced.

The 19th annual readers? choice awards attracted 21,000 voters, second only to the US census in terms of survey size in the States.

For Bermuda it was good news as the Island managed to beat last year?s winner to head the Caribbean and Atlantic listings, which saw the British Virgin Islands come third.

Sen. Burch attended the gala awards ceremony at New York?s American Museum of Natural History where he joined more than 400 members of the travel industry. He invited the audience to experience Bermuda for themselves and said the Island?s award was confirmation of the ?positive feelings towards Bermuda?s tourism product?.

In the top hotels for the region category Hamilton?s Waterloo House made it to number three, while The Reefs resort went one better to finish second best Atlantic resort.

And the top domestic airline, according to readers of Conde Nast Traveller, was JetBlue which started flights to Bermuda during 2006.

The top two rated ?big ship cruise lines? will both visit Bermuda in coming months.

Top-rated Regent Seven Seas is due to bring the to the Island in April 2007. In second place was Crystal Cruises and its luxury ship will visit Bermuda next month while sailing from Portugal to Miami. The awards ceremony is due to be broadcast on the Travel Channel on October 25. Thr

The results of the Readers? Choice Awards will be featured in the November 2006 of Conde Nast Traveller magazine.