Maldives wins five honours at World Travel Awards regional ceremony

The Maldives won four destination awards, while Visit Maldives Corporation was named the Indian Ocean’s leading tourist board at a ceremony hosted in the country on Sunday.

The World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony took place at CROSSROADS Maldives on 27 September, World Tourism Day. It was the first time in a decade that the ceremony had been held in the Maldives.

The Maldives was named Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination, Leading Dive Destination, Leading Green Destination and Leading Honeymoon Destination for 2026. Visit Maldives Corporation received the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Tourist Board. The results are listed by the World Travel Awards.

Maldivian companies also won awards across aviation, resorts, travel services and tourism infrastructure. Among them, Maldivian was named the Indian Ocean’s leading airline brand, Velana International Airport won the region’s leading airport award, and The Marina at CROSSROADS Maldives was named its leading superyacht marina.

Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Ameen and World Travel Awards founder Graham Cooke attended the gala. Ameen credited the tourism industry’s growth since the country opened its first two resorts in 1972, calling it “the backbone of our economy.”

Visit Maldives Corporation CEO and Managing Director Abdulla Yasir said the five honours reflected the range of experiences offered by the country’s tourism industry. According to the corporation, representatives from more than 40 countries attended the ceremony.