Voting for the Maldives Travel Awards Guesthouse Edition 2019 has opened, organiser Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) announced Tuesday.
Voting for the Guesthouse Edition began on September 20 and will continue until October 20. Votes can be cast online or via SMS.
The Guesthouse Edition features 96 nominees in 14 categories.
More than 65 guesthouses have been nominated for the awards, including seven islands contesting in the ‘Leading Guesthouse Island’ and ‘Leading Beach Island’ category. Nominees include properties from across the archipelago, bringing together a collection of guesthouses that projects the diversity of the destination.
Winners in the Guesthouse Edition are selected based on a combined score, which takes into account their ratings on TripAdvisor (60 per cent) as well as popular vote (40 per cent) collected through a web portal and an SMS voting platform.
As a major shift from previous years, MATATO will be presenting the ‘Leading Guesthouse Award’ to four winners selected from four different parts of the country, including South, North, and Central region. The leading guesthouse in the satellite town of Hulhumale will also be recognised as a separate category.
Winners of the Guesthouse Edition will be announced in October at a special function to be hosted in the island of Thoddoo in Alif Alif atoll.
In 2017, the Guesthouse Edition received more than 175 nominations and registered a record number of 176,000 votes.
Initiated in 2012 by MATATO, the Maldives Travel Awards celebrate and honour the best tourism and hospitality products in the Maldives whilst fostering relationships with suppliers and local travel agents. From 20 categories in 2012, the awards have now expanded into three editions totalling 55 categories.
MATATO hosts three editions: 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.