Maldives Tourism Awards ceremony held Saturday

Ten awards were presented to eight tourism service providers at the 3rd Maldives Tourism Awards ceremony held last night.

The ceremony, which saw the participation of numerous tourism industry stakeholders, was held at Barcelo Nasandhura. Awards were given in the categories of Human Resource Development, Community Empowerment, and Environmental Protection.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Tourism, Thoriq Ibrahim, stated that recognizing the contributions of tourism service providers is a great pleasure for the Ministry. He emphasized that the sector is maintained and advanced in a sustainable manner through the hard work of all stakeholders operating within the industry.

"This government is working hard to expand investments in the tourism sector, advance the industry, and formulate the necessary institutional framework," he affirmed.

Thoriq further announced that future awards will recognize the efforts of those who assist in women's empowerment and the promotion of the Maldives' cultural and handicraft sectors. He also stated that there are plans to recognize and award the professional achievements and work of individual industry personnel.

For the third annual Tourism Awards, a total of 84 applications were received from 43 tourism facilities for 19 award categories. These categories included five awards each for Tourist Resorts, Tourist Hotels, Tourist Guesthouses, and Tourist Vessels.

The awards also included the Excellence Award presented by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment to travel agencies, resorts, and island-based dive centers. The applications for these awards were evaluated by a three-member panel experienced in the relevant fields.