More than 100,000 votes were registered when voting for the upcoming Maldives Travel Awards Gala Edition closed on Tuesday, organiser Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has announced.
Voting for the 230 properties nominated for the 25 categories in the awards opened on October 20, and was conducted via an online portal and SMS until 12am on Tuesday.
According to MATATO, 59,000 votes were cast online, while another 41,000 votes were received via SMS.
Winners for the Gala Edition will be decided by a collective score based on traveller reviews on TripAdvisor and the popular vote. The winners will be announced at the grand gala to be held at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi resort Thursday evening.
In addition to the main categories, MATATO will present five awards to recognise special areas of tourism development and sustainability.
Meanwhile, MATATO will combine the grand gala with the second edition of the Maldives Travel Conference, which is set to be held on Thursday at Bandos Maldives resort.
Initiated in 2012 by MATATO, Maldives Travel Awards celebrate and honour the best tourism and hospitality products in the Maldives, while fostering relationships with suppliers and local travel agents. From 20 categories in 2012, the awards have now expanded into three editions totalling 55 categories.
This year, MATATO has for the first time branched out the prestigious awards into three categories; the People’s Edition, which recognises successful pioneers and long serving individuals in the tourism industry, a Guesthouse Edition, which celebrates the outstanding performance of the up and coming guesthouse sector, and the Grand Gala, which is exclusive for winners in the categories for resorts, airlines and liveaboards.
As the first event held under the Maldives Travel Awards brand, Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi hosted the People’s Edition on July 13, where 10 individuals were recognised for their immense contributions to the development of the Maldives tourism industry.
The Guesthouse Edition, held in the island of Maafushi on October 30, expanded on the recognitions awarded to guesthouses by MATATO as part of the Maldives Travel Awards, and celebrated the outstanding performance of the guesthouse sector.