The Third Annual Maldives Tourism Awards was held on Saturday at Barceló Nasandhura Male’. The Maldives Tourism Awards was established to recognize and celebrate excellence in human resource development, community engagement, innovation, and sustainability within the Maldives tourism sector. This year, 8 establishments received a total of 10 awards for their excellence in staff wellbeing, human resource development, community engagement, and environmental stewardship.

The ceremony also paid tribute to former minister of tourism, the late Hassan Sobir (O.D.R.I.), and industry pioneer, the late Mr. Mohamed Umar Maniku (O.D.R.M.D.) for their invaluable contributions to the Maldives’ tourism development. A moment of silence was observed in their honor, remembering their legacy and service to the country.

Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim congratulated the winners, and encouraged all in the tourism industry to work together to maintain Maldives position as a premier travel destination. Minister Thoriq further reiterated the government’s commitment towards the sustainable growth and development of the tourism industry. In this regard, Minister Thoriq highlighted that “from enhancing connectivity to strengthening our institutional frameworks, our goal is to provide a stable platform for the tourism industry’s continued growth and innovation”.

During the ceremony, Minister Thoriq also announced new awards for the upcoming year.

These awards will recognize and celebrate efforts towards women’s empowerment, support to local arts and crafts, and individual achievements in professional categories.

For the 2024 Awards, a total of 84 applications were received from 43 facilities, competing for 19 awards. These included five awards each for tourist resorts, tourist hotels, tourist guesthouses, and tourist vessels, along with an Excellence Award for travel agencies, dive centers based in resorts and local islands. Applications were evaluated by 3 independent judging panels, each comprising 3 members with expertise and experience in the tourism industry.

The Maldives Tourism Awards was established in 2022, and since then, two award cycles have been successfully completed. Today’s ceremony marks the presentation of awards for 2024, the 3rd cycle, covering the period from June 2023 to May 2024.