Mohamed Manik, Champa Afeef and Gasim Ibrahim receive WTA

World Travel Awards has recognized Koli Mohamed Umar Manik, Champa Hussain Afeef and Gasim Ibrahim for their “Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.”

Heavy weights of the tourism industry, the three entrepreneurs received the Outstanding Countribution to Tourism award at the World Travel Awards 2013 award ceremony held at the Paradise Island resort last night.

Awards for the three entrepreneurs were presented by the President and Founder of the World Travel Awards, Graham E. Cooke.

Koli Mohamed Manik, the Chairman of the Universal Enterprises and Champa Hussain Afeef, the Chairman of Champa Brothers Maldives are the first two businessmen who introduced tourism to the Maldives in the early 1970s. Chairman of Villa, Gasim Ibrahim is also one of the leading entrepreneurs in the Maldives tourism arena today.

World Travel Awards was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, it is regarded as the highest achievement that a travel product could hope to receive.