Eligibility criteria for MIB Guesthouse Awards 2026 unveiled

Awards 2026, inviting eligible guesthouses, tourism professionals, and islands across the Maldives to prepare their applications for the national awards program.

Organised by Maldives Islamic Bank and independently administered by Crowe Maldives Advisory, the MIB Guesthouse Awards aim to recognise excellence and promote higher standards across the country's rapidly expanding guesthouse tourism sector.

To ensure transparency and fairness, MIB has established a comprehensive set of eligibility criteria for each award category.

Guesthouses will compete in two separate tiers based on their declared room capacity to ensure fair competition among establishments of different sizes. Tier 1 is open to guesthouses with up to 10 rooms, while Tier 2 is reserved for guesthouses with 11 rooms or more.

Guesthouse Category

To be eligible for the awards, guesthouses must:

Be legally registered under the Maldives Companies Act.

Hold a valid guesthouse operating licence issued by the Ministry of Tourism.

Comply with all applicable health, safety, and environmental regulations.

Provide proof of statutory compliance, including a valid tax clearance certificate, compliance with Pension Act contribution requirements, and supporting documentation under the Employment Act.

Have completed at least 12 months of continuous operations and remain actively operational at the time of application.

Maintain an active listing on at least one recognised online travel platform, including Booking.com, Airbnb, Agoda, or TripAdvisor.

Individual Category

Applicants for the individual award categories must:

Be Maldivian nationals.

Declare that no actual or perceived conflict of interest exists with Maldives Islamic Bank or Crowe Maldives Advisory.

Island Category

Islands applying for the Guesthouse Tourism Champion Island Award must demonstrate:

Ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting tourism at the island level.

A minimum operating capacity of 50 guesthouse rooms at the time of application.

The MIB Guesthouse Awards 2026 feature awards across three categories, recognising outstanding guesthouses, tourism professionals, and islands that contribute to strengthening the Maldivian tourism industry. Guesthouses will compete in two separate tiers based on accommodation capacity to ensure fair competition among establishments of different sizes.

Applications for the MIB Guesthouse Awards 2026 will officially open on 15 July 2026. Further details regarding the application process and the awards ceremony will be announced through MIB's official communication channels. Eligible guesthouses, tourism professionals, and islands are encouraged to prepare the required documentation in advance to facilitate a smooth application process.

MIB states the Guesthouse Awards reaffirm the bank's commitment to supporting the sustainable development of the Maldives' tourism industry by recognising excellence, encouraging higher standards, and celebrating the achievements of those contributing to the continued growth of the nation's guesthouse sector.