Leeli Lounge at the Maldives main Velana International Airport has been named the Leading Airport Lounge in South Asia.
Officials from the state airport operator Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) received the visitors’ choice award at the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2018 gala held at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai on September 15.
Located on the first floor departure terminal, opposite to the duty free area, Leeli Lounge offers a great scenic view of the airport. It pampers travellers with comfortable seating in a classy, relaxing atmosphere while serving an international selection of food and beverages.
Launched in 2016 by Maldives based event management company Highrise, SATA has been endorsed by regional tourism authorities and organisations, including the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka (FCCISL), Colombo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), Confederation of Associated Tour Operators (India), Association of Travel Agents (ATA) Maldives, Association of Travel and Tour Operators India (ATTOI), Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT, India), Kerala Hotel General Managers Club (KHGMC), Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Liveaboard Association of Maldives (LAM).
SATA is the first ever regional travel awards endorsed by multi national associations, providing the tourism sector of the South Asian region with recognition towards their facilities and service excellence. It aims to encourage and raise service standards in the region’s tourism industry.
A record 500 plus nominations from the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal were received for the 36 categories in 10 segments included in this year’s edition of SATA.
This year’s evaluation process was carried out in the most vibrant cities in each country: Maldives capital Male, Sri Lankan capital Colombo, south Indian city of Bangalore, Indian capital New Delhi, Nepalese capital Kathmandu, and the Bhutanese town of Paro. The evaluation was carried out by an all-women jury, which comprised Amal Goonetilleke from Sri Lanka, Rinku Madan from India and Hinna Khalid from Maldives.