Maldives Travel Awards: Guesthouse Edition tonight in Maafushi

Monday night is a special night for the booming guesthouse industry in Maldives; the night when winners of Maldives Association on Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO)’s Maldives Travel Awards: Guesthouse Edition will be unveiled.

MATATO has expanded this year’s Maldives Travel Awards into three editions: People’s Edition, Guesthouse Edition, and Gala Edition.

The Guesthouse Edition will be held at the hub of Maldivian tourism industry – K. Maafushi.

MATATO reports it has made final preparations for the award function on Monday night. 96 guesthouse businesses operating across the country are competing for awards in 15 categories.

Winners from 12 categories will be selected based 40 percent on TripAdvisor reviews and 60 percent on votes. And winners from three categories will be selected by MATATO.

MATATO says more than 250 hospitality industry experts are scheduled to arrive in Maafushi for the awards function.

The association said it selected Maafushi to host the awards function because the island was where the guesthouse business was born, and remains the hub of the Maldivian guesthouse industry. Maafushi needs to be put in the limelight so it grabs the world’s attention, says MATATO.

Guesthouses were only given awards in five categories at previous Maldives Travel Awards, handed out at the Maldives Travel Awards Gala and Award Night. But this year, MATATO has made a separate edition to celebrate the vibrant guesthouse industry. Only 45 guesthouse businesses had competed for the awards in 2016, and the number has more than doubled this year.

Sun Online is the official media partner of Maldives Travel Awards.