The travel industry turns its attention to the Maldives on 27 September 2026 as the
World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026
brings leading names from across the three regions to CROSSROADS Maldives.
Now in its 33rd year, World Travel Awards recognises organisations and destinations across aviation, hospitality, tourism, travel services, cruise and visitor experiences. The regional ceremony provides a snapshot of an industry that continues to evolve through new openings, stronger destination identities, more specialised guest experiences and increasing attention to sustainability, design and service.
For travellers and the trade, the nominations also provide a useful guide to the companies shaping tourism across Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean. From major airlines and tourism boards to private-island resorts, specialist tour operators and airport services, the 2026 field reflects the breadth of the modern visitor journey.
Asia
The
Asia nominees for 2026
span aviation, hotels and resorts, destinations, tourism organisations, travel companies and visitor experiences across one of the world’s most diverse tourism regions. The Asia programme will be celebrated alongside Oceania and the Indian Ocean at the Maldives gala.
Oceania
The
Oceania nominees for 2026
bring together tourism leaders from across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, with recognition covering destinations, airlines, hotels, resorts and specialist travel experiences.
Indian Ocean
The
Indian Ocean shortlist
has a particularly strong Maldives presence in 2026. The following nominee profiles highlight the companies, destinations and tourism organisations represented in the supplied World Travel Awards nomination material, grouped by the part of the visitor economy in which they operate.
Aviation & airport hospitality
beOnd
beOnd offers an all-business-class leisure airline concept, with lie-flat seating on single-aisle Airbus aircraft. The airline has held a Maldivian Air Operator Certificate since its commercial launch and identifies the Maldives as its first home. Its published cabin design draws on private-jet influences, using an open layout, Italian-leather seats and comfort-focused amenities. The airline also promotes chauffeur arrangements as part of selected journeys. Its airline and airline-brand nominations put a spotlight on an approach designed to make the flight itself part of a premium leisure holiday.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline and Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline Brand
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Equator Village
Equator Village is located on Gan Island in Addu, the Maldives’ southernmost atoll. Its setting gives visitors a different starting point from the resorts around Malé, with opportunities to explore the surrounding area as well as spend time by the sea. The activity programme includes diving, watersports and experiences of local life, including dining with a family and learning about regional food. A pool and spa provide quieter options within the property. Its airport-hotel nomination places that accommodation and leisure offer within the practical context of travel through Gan.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airport Hotel
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Hulhule Island Hotel
Hulhule Island Hotel is located on the international airport island, giving it a practical role for visitors arriving, departing or spending time in transit. Its offer combines that proximity with a beach, swimming and dining, serving leisure and business travellers as well as connecting passengers. The airport-hotel nomination focuses on a property that can turn waiting time into a more complete stay. Rather than treating the airport connection solely as a functional stop, its proposition includes opportunities to relax by the sea or arrange a meal before the next stage of a journey. That combination of location and hospitality is central to its identity.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airport Hotel
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La
JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La provides a city-based alternative to the private-island resort stay. Located in the capital, the hotel offers a base for visitors whose plans include Malé as well as onward travel elsewhere in the Maldives. Its published service includes a complimentary airport shuttle, linking the practicalities of arrival with the accommodation experience. The airport-hotel nomination highlights that connecting role. For travellers visiting on business or combining a city stay with an island holiday, the proposition is convenient access to the capital with the support of an international hotel brand.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airport Hotel
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Maamahi Executive Lounge
Maamahi Executive Lounge is part of the premium passenger offer at Velana International Airport. Operated by Maldives Airports Company Limited, it provides a dedicated setting for travellers using the airport’s VIP facilities. The airport describes the lounge in terms of personal service, hospitality and premium amenities, positioning it around a more private and organised airport experience. Its regional airport-lounge nomination focuses on that specific facility. For passengers, the proposition is a quieter place within the journey, supported by services designed to make arrival or departure more comfortable.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airport Lounge
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Maldivian
Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives, plays a role in connecting the archipelago with international travel and domestic journeys. Its 2026 nominations span airline service, cabin experience, brand and seaplane operations, reflecting several distinct parts of the passenger offer. The airline recently introduced Journey+, a range of optional services intended to give passengers greater flexibility in organising their trip. The programme brings requested travel options together so customers can choose what matters to them. The nominations therefore place attention on both the transport link and the experience surrounding it, from the cabin to the onward island journey.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline – Business Class, Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline – Economy Class, Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline, Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline Brand, Indian Ocean’s Leading Cabin Crew and Indian Ocean’s Leading Seaplane Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Manta Air
Manta Air combines air transport with services intended to make the onward journey to a Maldives island feel more connected. Its published passenger proposition emphasises comfort and coordination, while its lounge offer is based at the Noovilu Seaplane Terminal. The Sapphire Lounge is specifically nominated in the airline-lounge category, alongside the carrier’s nomination for seaplane operations. These are complementary parts of the experience: the flight between islands and the time passengers spend preparing for it. Together, they bring attention to the teams and facilities that turn an airport connection into the beginning of a holiday.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline Lounge for Manta Air Sapphire Lounge and Indian Ocean’s Leading Seaplane Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Trans Maldivian Airways
Trans Maldivian Airways connects Velana International Airport with resort destinations by seaplane, making the flight over the atolls a recognisable part of the Maldives holiday. The operator says it serves more than 80 resorts and carries over one million passengers a year. Its services also include private charters and photographic flights, allowing the aircraft to support different kinds of island journey. The seaplane-operator nomination puts this specialist transport role in focus. The service combines practical access to remote accommodation with an aerial perspective on the lagoons, reefs and islands that define the destination.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Seaplane Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Velana International Airport
Velana International Airport is the main arrival point for many Maldives holidays, connecting international flights with onward island transport. Operated by Maldives Airports Company Limited, its published passenger facilities include information counters, shopping, dining and areas designed for families. The airport’s current visitor information brings practical travel services together with introductions to Maldivian culture and experiences. Its regional airport nomination focuses on this gateway role, where the passenger journey includes much more than the flight itself. Clear assistance and connections are particularly important for travellers continuing by domestic aircraft, seaplane or boat.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Airport
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Tour operators, travel agencies & destination management
Adventure Maldives
Adventure Maldives is a branch of Maldives Boat Club and focuses on journeys that take visitors beyond a conventional resort stay. Its published itineraries combine liveaboard cruising with activities such as snorkelling, diving, fishing, surfing and yoga. The company emphasises the Maldives’ seafaring identity and opportunities to discover local islands and traditions. Programmes include cruise-and-snorkel journeys, fishing escapes and routes associated with Hanifaru, giving travellers different ways to organise time at sea. Its tour-operator nominations highlight an approach where the journey through the atolls is itself a central part of the holiday.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Tour Operator; Indian Ocean’s Leading Tour Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Alpha Maldives
Alpha Maldives positions itself as a luxury travel specialist, combining resort selection with personalised holiday arrangements. Its published approach includes visits and assessments by its own consultants, intended to help match guests with accommodation suited to their preferences. Through its relationship with Maldives Yacht Support, the company also offers yacht-charter arrangements. Its services extend from reservations to arrivals and assistance during the stay, with customer support available around the clock. The tour-operator nomination draws attention to the local knowledge and practical coordination behind an individual Maldives itinerary.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Tour Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
DTH Travel Maldives
DTH Travel Maldives supports holidays that connect resort stays with experiences around the archipelago. Its published Maldives programme includes snorkelling safaris, turtle excursions, private-island visits and sunset yacht cruises, providing several ways to explore beyond the accommodation. The company also introduces visitors to Maldivian culture and cuisine through its destination information. As part of the wider DTH Travel network, its local team provides a link between international travel planning and on-the-ground delivery. The destination-management nominations highlight the coordination and local knowledge that sit behind a holiday before and after the guest reaches a resort.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Destination Management Company; Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination Management Company
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Get Into Maldives Travels
Get Into Maldives Travels combines holiday planning with aviation support, connecting resort bookings to the practical requirements of arrival and onward travel. The company says it has operated since 2008 and offers accommodation across different styles and budgets. Its services include flight handling, permits, aircraft parking, catering, fuel coordination, charter arrangements and VIP assistance. That breadth helps explain its nominations across destination management, luxury tour operation and travel agency categories. For travellers and trade partners, the proposition is a coordinated service that can bring accommodation, airport processes and specialist transport requirements together.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Destination Management Company, Maldives’ Leading Luxury Tour Operator and Maldives’ Leading Travel Agency; Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination Management Company, Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Tour Operator and Indian Ocean’s Leading Travel Agency
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Intour Maldives
Intour Maldives was founded in 1996 as a destination management company in Malé and specialises in luxury travel. Its services combine resort knowledge with personalised arrangements, supported by a multilingual team working with international markets. The company’s 30th-anniversary programme in 2026 brought together travel partners and resort collaborators, reflecting the importance of relationships in its model. Its offer includes private-island escapes, yacht experiences and VIP services as well as resort holidays. The luxury-tour-operator nominations place attention on the planning and personal detail behind those stays.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Luxury Tour Operator; Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Tour Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Lets Go Maldives
Lets Go Maldives provides destination management and travel planning for luxury holidays, honeymoons and tailored island experiences. Its services include resort bookings, speedboat transfers, domestic flights, seaplanes and VIP airport assistance. The company also offers concierge arrangements and specialist services such as yacht charters. Its luxury-tour-operator and tour-operator nominations reflect different parts of that offer, from choosing the right resort to coordinating the journey around it. For visitors, the practical benefit is a single planning relationship that connects the holiday’s accommodation, transport and individual requests.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Luxury Tour Operator and Maldives’ Leading Tour Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Simply Maldives
Simply Maldives is a UK-based specialist focused on holidays to the Maldives. Its published service centres on helping customers choose, plan and book a resort stay suited to their preferences, combining destination knowledge with personal consultation. The regional travel-agency nomination recognises its participation in the market serving the Indian Ocean destination, rather than implying that the business is based in the Maldives. For travellers comparing islands, accommodation and packages, its role is to make the range of choices more manageable and connect the initial holiday idea with an arranged journey.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Travel Agency
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Travel Connection Maldives
Travel Connection Maldives provides personalised resort holidays, with collections aimed at honeymooners, families and other travellers seeking an island escape. Its current website also offers an AI reservation assistant to help visitors begin exploring their accommodation preferences. On the ground, the company describes an airport welcome and assistance with baggage and onward transfers. That combination of planning tools and human support gives its travel-agency nomination a practical context. The service proposition is to connect the initial choice of resort with the details of arrival, helping guests navigate the different stages of a Maldives holiday.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Travel Agency
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Travel Escapes Maldives
Travel Escapes Maldives specialises in matching guests with resort stays and experiences suited to their preferences. Its offer includes luxury all-inclusive holidays, family accommodation and honeymoons, with recommendations based on atmosphere, service and the needs of each traveller. The company describes a meet-and-greet service on arrival, assistance through the transfer process and round-the-clock customer support. Its luxury-tour-operator nomination puts attention on that combination of planning and delivery. The experience is to connect the choice of island with the practical details that help a holiday run smoothly from the airport onwards.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Luxury Tour Operator
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Vermillion International Maldives
Vermillion International Maldives offers resort, hotel and safari-boat accommodation, giving travellers access to different kinds of stay across the destination. Its website combines holiday information with reservations and package offers, presenting the company as a Maldives-based travel agent and tour operator. The range matters in an archipelago where a holiday can be centred on one resort or organised around time at sea. Its national and regional travel-agency nominations put the planning role in focus: helping visitors compare options and arrange a stay that reflects their priorities. The experience connects destination knowledge with the practical process of selecting and booking accommodation.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Travel Agency; Indian Ocean’s Leading Travel Agency
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Voyages Maldives
Voyages Maldives was established in 1980 and has developed services spanning destination management, passenger handling, aviation, ticketing and tours. Its offer also includes resort bookings and liveaboards, allowing visitors to choose between an island base and a holiday at sea. The company’s fleet supports cruising and diving safaris, extending the Maldives experience beyond a single resort. Its destination-management nomination highlights the role of coordination across these different services. The value to travellers and travel partners lies in bringing transport, accommodation and activities into one journey, with local expertise supporting the arrangements.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Destination Management Company
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Cruise, ports & marinas
Maldives and Visit Maldives Corporation
The Maldives’ regional nominations span several forms of travel, including beach holidays, diving, honeymoons, weddings and cruise visits. The destination’s visitor offer extends from private-island resorts to local-island guesthouses and liveaboard journeys, creating different ways to experience the archipelago. Visit Maldives Corporation is separately nominated in the tourist-board category. The state-owned destination-marketing organisation promotes the country internationally through trade shows, familiarisation visits, training, media activity and joint campaigns. Its role is to connect the islands’ varied tourism experiences with prospective visitors and the travel trade, under the Maldives’ Sunny Side of Life identity.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Beach Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Cruise Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination, Indian Ocean’s Leading Tourist Board and Indian Ocean’s Leading Wedding Destination
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Male’ Commercial Harbor
Malé Commercial Harbor is operated within the Maldives Ports Limited network and is nominated in the Indian Ocean cruise-port category. The port’s role sits within a broader maritime system serving an island nation whose tourism and everyday economy depend on reliable sea connections. Maldives Ports Limited describes its core function as managing and operating government-owned ports and facilities. The nomination brings the visitor-facing aspect of that infrastructure into view: the port is part of the connection between a vessel’s journey and time ashore in the destination. It highlights a less visible but important component of the wider tourism experience.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Cruise Port
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
The Marina at CROSSROADS Maldives
The Marina at CROSSROADS Maldives brings a 30-berth quay together with dining, retail and leisure facilities in an integrated island destination. Located close to Malé and Velana International Airport, it connects yacht visitors with a wider resort and day-visitor experience. Facilities include the Hard Rock Cafe, marine and cultural discovery centres, and watersports and diving activities. The marina’s superyacht nomination applies to this specific part of CROSSROADS, alongside separately nominated hotels within the development. The experience extends beyond berthing to the services and experiences available once guests come ashore.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Superyacht Marina for The Marina
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Hospitality brands
Coco Collection
Coco Collection is a Maldivian-owned hospitality company whose boutique approach is expressed through properties including Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. Its published philosophy connects personalised service with local culture and the island setting. The group’s partnership with the Olive Ridley Project includes the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, while guest experiences also introduce Maldivian traditions and craftsmanship. Its boutique-hotel-brand nomination applies to Coco Collection as a brand, distinct from the individual resort nominations. It highlights the shared identity connecting properties with their own settings and experiences.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading Boutique Hotel Brand
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Hotels, resorts, villas & island experiences
.Here Baa Atoll Maldives
.Here Baa Atoll Maldives introduces an intimate resort concept spread across Somewhere island and Nowhere private island. The accommodation includes a five-bedroom beach residence and a three-bedroom ocean residence on Nowhere, placing private space and flexible use at the heart of the proposition. The resort promotes marine exploration in Baa Atoll, wellness and journeys aboard ASMAS, alongside access to experiences at Finolhu. Its nominations span boutique hospitality and the regional new-resort category. The approach combines a secluded base with the option to choose a more active or social experience when guests wish.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Boutique Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Boutique Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading New Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Adaaran Prestige Vadoo
Adaaran Prestige Vadoo positions its Maldives stay around premium all-inclusive hospitality and experiences for couples. Its offer includes floating breakfasts, dolphin cruises and spa time, with dining spread across a dine-around programme. Those elements give the honeymoon nominations a clear context: the resort is designed to bring meals, relaxation and shared occasions together within one island stay. Guests can alternate private time with organised experiences, while the surrounding sea provides the setting throughout. The appeal is in shaping a holiday around a couple’s own pace and interests.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Honeymoon Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Alila Kothaifaru Maldives
Alila Kothaifaru Maldives occupies a private island in Raa Atoll and offers an all-pool-villa accommodation concept. Beach and overwater villas provide different perspectives on the surrounding reef and lagoon, with indoor and outdoor space forming an important part of the design. Its experiences include visits to The Shack, a private sandbank reached by a short boat journey, where dining can be arranged away from the main island. The boutique nomination reflects the resort’s intimate hospitality proposition, while the wider regional shortlist also includes its environmental positioning. Together, the categories draw attention to the relationship between design, setting and the guest experience.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Boutique Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Amilla Maldives
Amilla Maldives combines family accommodation and island experiences with practical initiatives around food and resource use. Located in Baa Atoll’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the resort describes organic gardens, a hydroponic garden and reef conservation work as parts of its approach. Its published sustainability programme also includes making products such as yoghurt, preserves, plant-based milk and kombucha on the island to reduce packaging. Guest experiences range from watersports to private sandbank dining and sunset dhoni cruises. The family and green nominations bring these operational and experiential elements together in a resort where hospitality and the island environment are closely connected.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Family Resort and Maldives’ Leading Green Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Family Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort
Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort combines a family-oriented island stay with beach and overwater accommodation. Its Anantara Over Water Pool Suite is separately nominated in the hotel-suite category, putting a named accommodation product alongside the wider resort’s recognition. Dining ranges from international selections at Fushi Café to Italian cuisine at Aqua and grilled seafood and meat at Sea Fire Salt. The activity programme includes watersports, diving and marine encounters, with spa experiences providing a quieter alternative. This variety helps explain the resort’s positioning across family, luxury and water-based categories without reducing the holiday to a single feature.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Family Resort, Maldives’ Leading Hotel Suite for Anantara Over Water Pool Suite and Maldives’ Leading Luxury Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Family Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Water Villa Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas offers 80 beach and overwater pool villas and residences in Baa Atoll. The resort’s setting close to Hanifaru Bay places marine discovery alongside private accommodation as a central part of its published proposition. The surrounding house reef offers opportunities to explore the underwater environment, while private dining can be arranged on the beach or in the lagoon. Its villa-resort nominations focus attention on the accommodation, but the wider stay connects that private space with food, service and the natural setting. Seasonal wildlife encounters remain part of the destination rather than a guaranteed attraction.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Villa Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Angsana Velavaru
Angsana Velavaru is located in South Nilandhe Atoll, with beach and overwater accommodation arranged around a private lagoon. Known locally as Turtle Island, the resort combines its setting with a published programme of more than 100 things to do. Activities span dining, recreation and marine discovery, with the resort describing access to 30 dive sites in the surrounding area. Beach proposals and other private occasions add a romantic dimension. Its honeymoon and water-villa nominations bring that combination of accommodation and shared experiences into focus, while leaving guests room to choose an active or quieter stay.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Honeymoon Resort and Maldives’ Leading Water Villa Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives
Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives offers an all-inclusive island experience in Lhaviyani Atoll. Its accommodation includes beach and water villas, two-bedroom family options and larger residences, allowing guests to choose space and layout around the needs of their group. The Atmosphere Kanifushi Plan brings together dining, beverages and selected activities, with the published experience extending to snorkelling, sunset fishing and non-motorised watersports. The family nomination puts that combination into focus: the appeal is both the physical setting and the convenience of arranging different interests within one resort holiday.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Family Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Avani+ Fares Maldives
Avani+ Fares Maldives offers beach and overwater accommodation with options for families, couples and guests travelling together. Its collection includes two-bedroom beach villas, while the resort promotes dining, spa time and marine activities as parts of a complete island stay. The villa-resort nomination places attention on the accommodation and how it supports different styles of holiday. Larger layouts provide space for shared travel, while an all-inclusive option offers another way to organise dining and selected experiences. The experience combines a contemporary resort identity with the flexibility to choose the setting and pace of a Maldives escape.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Villa Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Baglioni Maldives
Baglioni Maldives places its accommodation in Dhaalu Atoll, with a villa collection that includes the three-bedroom Grand Baglioni Maldives Villa. Generous indoor and outdoor space and terraces looking over the sea are central to the larger residence’s published design. The resort’s nominations span honeymoon hospitality, luxury villas and water-villa stays. These categories connect different parts of the same proposition: privacy for couples, space for guests travelling together and accommodation shaped around the ocean setting. The emphasis is on a villa-based holiday where the choice of space helps define how a stay is experienced.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Honeymoon Resort, Maldives’ Leading Luxury Villa Resort and Maldives’ Leading Water Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Water Villa Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Bandos Maldives
Bandos Maldives is located in North Malé Atoll and presents an island experience built around hospitality, recreation and access to the sea. Its offer includes excursions, wellness at the spa and private beach dining, allowing guests to vary the pace of their stay. The property’s family nomination sits alongside regional recognition in the dive-resort field. Together, they highlight a resort that can serve as a base for both shared holidays and more specialist interests. The island setting supports time together on shore while the surrounding waters provide another dimension for guests keen to explore beneath the surface.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Family Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, Maldives
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru combines beachfront hospitality with a longstanding marine-conservation programme. The resort reports that its Marine Lab was established in 2004 and supports coral restoration, reef monitoring and education for guests and local communities. Located in North Malé Atoll, the property also offers a dine-around experience spanning Thai food at Saffron, Japanese dining at Madi Hiyaa and charcoal-grilled dishes at Sangu Garden. Its green and resort nominations place the operational and guest-facing sides of the island together, with food, service and opportunities to understand the marine setting all part of the proposition.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Green Resort and Maldives’ Leading Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Baros Maldives
Baros Maldives builds its island identity around timber-and-sandstone villas, tropical foliage and close contact with the sea. Beach accommodation sits within the island’s greenery, while water villas extend the choice into the lagoon, including options with private pools. The house reef features prominently in the resort’s published experiences, providing a focus for snorkelling and marine discovery. Its nominations across boutique, resort and water-villa categories show how the property is positioned around both intimacy and accommodation. The island’s physical scale and the connection between villa, beach and reef are central to that proposition.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Boutique Resort, Maldives’ Leading Resort and Maldives’ Leading Water Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Water Villa Resort and Indian Ocean’s Most Romantic Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Canareef Resort Maldives
Canareef Resort Maldives combines beach-villa accommodation with a programme that places the sea at the centre of the holiday. Its villa collection includes Premium Beach Villas with whirlpools, providing a private place to relax between excursions and time in the water. The resort appears in both the Maldives and Indian Ocean dive-resort categories. Those nominations put a specialist aspect of the guest experience in the spotlight, alongside the beach setting and accommodation. For travellers who organise their island holiday around underwater exploration, the relationship between a comfortable base and opportunities to discover the marine environment is particularly relevant.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Dive Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives
Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives builds its family proposition around an underwater-inspired design and a substantial water-play offer. Published features include a swimming pool, a dedicated children’s pool, a winding lazy river and an interactive water playground. The resort forms part of The Atollia by Centara, alongside Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives. Its focus is on shared holiday experiences and facilities that give younger guests a clear place in the stay. Nominations in both the Maldives and Indian Ocean family-resort categories place that purpose-built recreation concept in the spotlight.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Family Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Family Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Cheval Blanc Randheli
Cheval Blanc Randheli combines beach and water villas with highly personalised dining and leisure experiences. Its separate Private Island includes a four-bedroom residence of more than 2,200 square metres and a dedicated team, providing an option for guests seeking a more self-contained stay. The experience programme includes sandbank picnics, private dining and tennis and padel in a jungle setting. The Private Island is specifically recognised in the regional private-island category, while other nominations apply to the wider Randheli resort. That distinction highlights the range between a villa holiday and an exclusively reserved island experience.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Honeymoon Resort, Maldives’ Leading Luxury Resort and Maldives’ Leading Luxury Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Island Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Villa Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Private Island Resort for Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Coco Bodu Hithi
Coco Bodu Hithi combines private-pool accommodation with a focus on the marine environment. Its published Island Villas offer 188 square metres of space, illustrating the resort’s emphasis on room to relax as well as access to the beach and lagoon. The Go Eco experience introduces guests to the species found in the surrounding waters, including hawksbill turtles. Wildlife encounters depend on natural conditions, but the programme gives the island holiday an educational dimension. Boutique and romance nominations connect that setting with a hospitality proposition designed around privacy, personal space and experiences shared with a partner.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Boutique Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Boutique Resort and Indian Ocean’s Most Romantic Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu’s environmental story includes a substantive partnership with the Olive Ridley Project. The charity confirms that its Marine Turtle Rescue Centre opened at the resort in February 2017, providing treatment for injured turtles and supporting research into their health. The centre gives the resort’s green nomination a specific context beyond general environmental messaging. It sits alongside Coco Palm’s wider island-holiday experience, with marine activities and opportunities to learn about the surrounding ecosystem. The partnership illustrates how a tourism property can provide a base for specialist conservation work while introducing visitors to the challenges facing local wildlife.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Green Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
COMO Cocoa Island, Maldives
COMO Cocoa Island offers an intimate private-island experience, with the surrounding reefs and sandbars playing a central role in its published activities. The resort promotes diving, fishing, dolphin-watching cruises and opportunities to explore its house reef, alongside quieter time on the island. COMO describes Cocoa Island as the more intimate of its two Maldives resorts and particularly suited to romantic stays. That positioning aligns with nominations spanning boutique and honeymoon hospitality. The emphasis is on a quieter relationship with the destination, where marine discovery and time together help define the holiday beyond the accommodation itself.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Boutique Resort and Maldives’ Leading Honeymoon Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Boutique Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Private Island Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
COMO Maalifushi
COMO Maalifushi brings a family-friendly resort experience to Thaa Atoll in the southern Maldives. Its 59 suites and villas feature design by Koichiro Ikebuchi, with a choice of beach and overwater settings and larger accommodation for guests travelling together. The activity programme includes surfing, visits to uninhabited islands and guided marine discovery. Hands-on learning and snorkelling introduce younger guests to turtles, coral gardens and reef life, while dining can be arranged on a villa deck, on the beach or as an island picnic. Its family and dive nominations connect these two dimensions of the stay.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Dive Resort and Maldives’ Leading Family Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is spread across two naturally formed islands in South Ari Atoll, offering beach and overwater accommodation within one resort. Its villa collection includes larger and interconnected options, giving couples, families and groups different ways to use the island setting. The Muraka is specifically nominated in the luxury hotel villa categories, while the wider resort appears across several hospitality and experience categories. This breadth places attention on both a named residence and the overall destination. Rangali Bar provides a social meeting point beside the main pool, balancing the privacy of villa living with shared dining and leisure spaces.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Dive Resort, Maldives’ Leading Family Resort, Maldives’ Leading Green Resort, Maldives’ Leading Honeymoon Resort, Maldives’ Leading Luxury Hotel Villa for The Muraka, Maldives’ Leading Luxury Resort and Maldives’ Leading Luxury Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Responsible Tourism Award, Indian Ocean’s Leading Family Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Resort, Indian Ocean’s Leading Hotel, Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa for The Muraka, Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Resort and Indian Ocean’s Most Romantic Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Constance Halaveli
Constance Halaveli combines beach and water accommodation with private plunge pools and views of the surrounding sea. Its beach villas include gardens, providing a more sheltered setting within the island alongside the open perspective of overwater living. The resort’s published positioning emphasises personal service and seclusion, with a choice of accommodation for different kinds of stay. Its luxury-resort and villa nominations draw attention to that relationship between the private space and the wider hospitality experience. For travellers, the distinction is the ability to choose their preferred island setting without losing the services of a full resort.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Luxury Resort and Maldives’ Leading Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Constance Moofushi
Constance Moofushi approaches the Maldives through an all-inclusive island stay, pairing beach and overwater accommodation with the reefs of South Ari Atoll. Its appeal lies in bringing dining, drinks and island living together within a clearly defined holiday package, while retaining the informality associated with a smaller island escape. The resort’s published Crystal package includes a selection of drinks and dining, with Alizée Beach Grill among the culinary options. Beyond the villa, marine excursions and diving provide a way to explore the surrounding atoll. The combination gives travellers a choice between quiet time by the lagoon and a more active holiday beneath the surface.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Cora Cora Maldives
Cora Cora Maldives builds its resort identity around a premium all-inclusive experience and a relaxed approach to island life. Its dining offer includes a Japanese restaurant with teppanyaki, sushi and kushiyaki experiences, giving food a prominent role in the stay. The resort’s positioning connects accommodation, wellness and leisure within one holiday concept. Its regional all-inclusive nomination puts attention on how those components work together, with guests able to choose between active experiences and slower time on the island. The experience is intended to give travellers variety while retaining the ease of an organised resort stay.
Nominated: Indian Ocean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Diamonds Athuruga
Diamonds Athuruga places its all-inclusive experience in South Ari Atoll, with accommodation ranging from beach villas to villas above the water. The contrast is central to the stay: guests can choose direct access to the sand or a perspective over the lagoon, with dining and island activities shaping the wider holiday. The resort also participates in Diamonds’ Island Hop experience with sister property Thudufushi. The programme combines stays on both islands and includes opportunities such as snorkelling with a marine biologist. It offers an alternative to spending an entire Maldives holiday in one resort, while keeping the journey within the same hospitality collection.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Diamonds Thudufushi
Diamonds Thudufushi brings together beachfront accommodation, overwater villas and an all-inclusive holiday concept in South Ari Atoll. Its beach collection includes junior suites and sandbank accommodation, giving guests several ways to stay close to the shoreline. Water villas offer a different relationship with the lagoon, with outdoor space designed around the ocean setting. Marine discovery is an important part of the resort’s published experience, including expert-led excursions and opportunities to explore the underwater environment. A joint Island Hop programme with Diamonds Athuruga adds another dimension, allowing guests to divide their holiday between two islands and include a marine-biologist-led snorkelling experience.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort, Maldives’ Leading Beach Resort and Maldives’ Leading Dive Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Dusit Thani Maldives
Dusit Thani Maldives is located on Mudhdhoo Island in Baa Atoll, within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It combines Dusit’s Thai hospitality with beach and pool-villa accommodation, using the island’s shoreline and tropical planting as the backdrop to the stay. The resort’s published dining offer includes signature restaurants and beachfront grills, while experiences range from a floating breakfast to participation in beach and reef clean-ups. Its Leading Beach Resort nomination places attention on the island holiday as a whole: accommodation, food, service and opportunities to spend time in and around the surrounding waters.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Beach Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives
dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives brings Dusit’s Thai-inspired hospitality to an all-inclusive resort with a contemporary, social character. Its accommodation includes waterfront and overwater pool villas, while the dining offer draws on several settings and cuisines rather than a single restaurant experience. The published all-inclusive programme includes Bangkok-inspired street-food flavours at SOI, dining at BÅŒ and coffee and high tea at Cocoon. The island’s marine attractions include Feydhoo Wall and nearby underwater features explored through snorkelling and diving excursions. Together, these elements create a resort proposition that connects design, food and activity with the familiar Maldives beach escape.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort and Maldives’ Leading Family Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading New Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa
Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa places villa accommodation at the centre of its island experience. Its collection includes 70 villas with private pools, along with larger options such as a two-bedroom Presidential Beach Villa. Outdoor showers and generous living space connect the accommodation to the tropical setting, while the resort’s Deluxe All-Inclusive concept provides the wider framework for the stay. Its luxury-villa nomination focuses on the accommodation itself, but the guest proposition also depends on dining, leisure and the ability to move easily between private space and shared resort experiences.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Luxury Villa Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa
Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa is located on Fasmendhoo Island in Raa Atoll and presents its stay through a Deluxe All-Inclusive concept. Villas, dining and leisure form the core of the island experience, with the Emerald Spa providing a quieter counterpoint to time on the beach and in the water. The resort also publishes an annual sustainability report, environmental policy and management plan, providing a documented framework alongside its green-resort nomination. Its wider shortlist presence spans family travel and luxury accommodation. Together, those categories draw attention to different dimensions of the stay, from practical holiday arrangements to private space and island operations.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort, Maldives’ Leading Family Resort, Maldives’ Leading Green Resort, Maldives’ Leading Luxury Island Resort and Maldives’ Leading Luxury Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Island Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Four Seasons Maldives Private Island at Voavah
Four Seasons Maldives Private Island at Voavah offers an exclusive-use island experience in Baa Atoll. Its published facilities include seven bedrooms, a Beach House, spa, dive centre and a 19-metre yacht, bringing accommodation and exploration within one private setting. The island describes a dedicated team led by an Island Chief, with service covering activities, housekeeping and childcare. That makes the proposition different from booking a single villa within a shared resort. The luxury-island and private-island nominations focus on the ability to shape an entire stay around one party, whether a family gathering or a special celebration.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Luxury Island Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Island Resort and Indian Ocean’s Leading Private Island Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa combines beach and overwater accommodation with a programme of marine activities and private dining. Its offer includes scheduled dive excursions and meals arranged on nearby Vabou Huraa, extending the stay beyond the main resort. The Sunrise Three-Bedroom Water Suite is specifically nominated in the Maldives hotel-suite category. It sits alongside the resort’s wider recognition for island hospitality and water-villa accommodation. For guests travelling as a family or group, the relationship between a larger private space and experiences that can be shared is an important part of the proposition.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Hotel Suite for Sunrise Three-Bedroom Water Suite, Maldives’ Leading Resort and Maldives’ Leading Water Villa Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Water Villa Resort
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru
Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru is located in Baa Atoll, with villas and suites looking over the waters of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Beach accommodation combines private pools, outdoor living areas and tropical planting, while overwater choices place guests above the lagoon. The Three-Bedroom Land And Ocean Suite is specifically shortlisted in the hotel-suite category. The resort’s published marine programme includes diving around reefs and thilas, with seasonal opportunities to encounter manta rays. This gives the accommodation-led story a wider destination context, connecting private space with the surrounding marine environment.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Hotel Suite for Three-Bedroom Land And Ocean Suite and Maldives’ Leading Resort
Official website
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World Travel Awards nomination profile
Fushifaru Maldives
Fushifaru Maldives offers a comparatively intimate island stay in Lhaviyani Atoll. Its accommodation collection comprises 44 beach villas and 19 water villas, giving guests a choice between the shoreline and the lagoon while retaining a compact resort setting. The property promotes both water-based adventures and cultural exploration, with activities and excursions for different interests. Its Beach Resort and Boutique Resort nominations reflect complementary aspects of that proposition: the physical island setting and a more personal scale of hospitality. The result is a holiday centred on the sea without losing the opportunity to discover something of Maldivian life.
Nominated: Maldives’ Leading Beach Resort and Maldives’ Leading Boutique Resort; Indian Ocean’s Leading Boutique Resort
