Tropical paradise of the Maldives takes three prizes at the annual World Travel Awards
With endless stretches of white sand, authentic wooden huts and crystal clear waters, the Maldives have earned the reputation of being a perfect tropical paradise. Now, the archipelago has been named the Indian Ocean’s leading destination.
The Maldives gained three prizes at the annual World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2018 that took place in Durban on Saturday. Apart from being the Leading Destination overall, the island state is also Indian Ocean’s Leading Beach Destination and Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination.
However, the Maldives was not the only successful spot at the gala ceremony. Durban, which hosted the event in its International Convention Centre, was named Africa’s Leading City Destination, while Cape Town’s captivating mix of cultures, cuisines and landscapes picked up Africa’s Leading Festival & Event Destination award.
Maldives’ Leading Beach Resort 2018: Diamonds Thudufushi
Winners profile: https://t.co/p0Hsx3rhXX#WorldTravelAwards #Winner #Maldives pic.twitter.com/hkx1EKVpl8
— World Travel Awards (@WTravelAwards) October 7, 2018
Another tropical paradise, Mauritius, cemented its reputation as the ultimate romantic island by being named the Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination.
And not only destinations were rated at this year’s ceremony. Ethiopian Airlines, for instance, gained the title of Africa’s Leading Airline, while Kenya Airlines picked up Africa’s Leading Airline — Business Class and Africa’s Leading Airline — Economy Class awards.
Graham E Cooke, founder and president of the World Travel Awards (WTA), said: “The Durban ICC has reinforced its standing as a world-class entertainment venue on what has been a magnificent evening of travel industry triumph, as well as a highlight of our 25th anniversary. We have had the privilege of recognising the leading hotels, airlines and hospitality providers from across Africa and the Indian Ocean and my congratulations to each of them.”
The elite of the travel industry assembled for the World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2018 at the Durban International Convention Centre over the weekend. Winner of Africa’s Leading Airline – Business Class 2018 went to Kenya Airways https://t.co/cDUXLaX3a4 pic.twitter.com/EEfJLRCKZ2
— World Travel Awards (@WTravelAwards) October 8, 2018
WTA was established in 1993 and has gained a reputation as being a hallmark of quality, with “winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire”.
“Each year, WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region,” the brand says.
“WTA gala ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media.”
