Maldives Travel Award 2019: Highlights And Winners
On Thursday, Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) hosted the gala event of Maldives Travel Awards 2019, honoring the best of the Maldivian travel industry. The stake-holders of the industry gathered on Crossroads Maldives- The country’s very first mega project and largest integrated tourism development of the country.
Famed as the prime travel award in the Maldives, industry professionals attended the gala event of the award where the winners and nominees we welcomed to an exceptional evening.
The celebrations started earlier that day when the winners of the Guesthouse Edition were welcomed at Café Del Mar for a networking reception. Later followed by the gala dinner and the where the People’s Edition and Gala Edition were awarded.
This year marked the eighth edition of Maldives Travels Awards, witnessing a record number of nominations in all major categories. This year, the Gala edition featured 236 nominations in 28 categories, representing more than 100 registered travel brands in the Maldives. The Guesthouse Edition featured 196 nominations in 13 categories. The winners were selected via reviews by travelers and popular votes collected by SMS.
This year’s winners include:
- Leading Airport Hotel: Airport Beach Hotel
- Leading Low Cost Carrier: Air Asia
- Leading Local Carrier: Maldivian
- Leading International Carrier: Sri Lankan Airlines
- Leading Business Hotel: Hotel Jen Malé Maldives By Shangri-La
- Leading Local Hotel & Resort Brand: Villa Hotels
- Leading International Hotel & Resort Brand: Anantara Hotels & Resorts
- Leading Liveaboard: Ark Nobel
- Leading Surf Resort: Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives
- Leading Food And Beverage Outlet: Niyama Private Islands Maldives
- Leading Meeting and Conference Resort: Kurumba Maldives
- Leading Designer Resort: Cocoon Maldives and Kandima Maldives
- Leading Dive Resort: Bandos Maldives and Angaga Island Resort & Spa
- Leading Human Resource Management: Velaa Private Island Maldives
- Leading CSR Programme: Crown & Champa Resorts
- Leading Liveaboard Brand: Carpe Diem Maldives
- Leading Eco Resort: Six Senses Laamu
- Leading All-Inclusive Resort: Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
- Leading Food and Beverage Resort: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
- Leading Family Resort: One&Only Reethi Rah
- Leading Wellness And Spa Resort: Kihaa Maldives and The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Maldives
- Leading Beach Resort: Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa
- Leading Luxury Resort: Cheval Blanc Randheli
- Most Romantic Resort: Huvafen Fushi Maldives
The individuals that received the ‘Tourism Personality of the Year’ award include:
- Raffaele Solferino: General Manger, Grand Park Kodhipparu Maldives
- Ramsay Perera: General Manager, Embudu Village
- Ahmed Naseem (Kerafa Naseem)
The Maldives Travel Awards honor and recognize the best in the tourism sector of the Maldives and built a competitive atmosphere and great business relationships within the local travel agents and suppliers. Since the first edition in 2012, Maldives Travel Awards has been evolving into a stage where tourism professionals look forward to.
