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Maldives Seeks Seventh Consecutive World’s Leading Destination Award Among Five 2026 Global Nominations

After five Indian Ocean regional award wins, the island destination and Visit Maldives Corporation are on the global shortlist with voting open until 30 October.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The Maldives is nominated in four destination categories at the 2026 World Travel Awards, while Visit Maldives Corporation is nominated for World's Leading Tourist Board.
  • The country has won World's Leading Destination for six consecutive years from 2020 to 2025.
  • The global nominations follow five corresponding Indian Ocean regional awards won in 2026.
  • Voting closes on 30 October 2026 through the official World Travel Awards website.

The Maldives is competing for five global honours at the World Travel Awards 2026, with the island nation seeking a seventh consecutive World’s Leading Destination title following six victories between 2020 and 2025. Voting is open until 30 October, giving travel professionals and consumers an opportunity to participate in the final stage of this year’s awards.

The latest shortlist covers four destination categories and one award recognising the national tourism promotion body. The nominations follow a clean sweep of five corresponding Indian Ocean regional categories at the 2026 World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean ceremony, hosted at CROSSROADS Maldives.

Five nominations covering tourism experiences and destination marketing

The Maldives is shortlisted for World’s Leading Destination, World’s Leading Dive Destination, World’s Leading Green Destination and World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination. Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) is also a finalist for World’s Leading Tourist Board.

The range of categories draws attention to several strands of the country’s visitor economy. Diving and marine exploration are established parts of the Maldives travel experience, supported by coral reefs and rich marine life. Island resorts and private accommodation experiences also feature prominently in its appeal to honeymoon travellers, while the green destination category places environmental management and responsible tourism in the spotlight.

The nomination for the tourist board addresses a different area of tourism performance: the work of promoting the destination internationally and collaborating with travel industry partners. The organisation says its marketing initiatives focus on established as well as emerging visitor markets.

Regional victories precede the global shortlist

At the 2026 regional ceremony, the Maldives secured Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination, Leading Dive Destination, Leading Green Destination and Leading Honeymoon Destination. Visit Maldives Corporation additionally won Indian Ocean’s Leading Tourist Board, taking the destination and its tourism body to a combined five regional awards.

The World’s Leading Destination nomination carries a particular historical dimension. The award organiser’s published history lists the Maldives as the winner each year from 2020 through 2025. A victory in 2026 would therefore extend that sequence to seven years; the global results have not yet been announced.

The World Travel Awards programme, founded in 1993, includes regional and worldwide categories, with votes from travel industry professionals and members of the public helping determine the winners. Nomination in a category does not itself constitute an award win.

Voting remains open until 30 October

VMC is encouraging tourism businesses, international partners, Maldivian residents and travellers to participate in the voting. According to its 21 October announcement, voting closes on 30 October 2026.

Participants can use the World Travel Awards voting portal, create an account or sign in, complete email verification where required, and select the world-level categories. Further destination and travel information is available through the official Visit Maldives website.

The five nominations give the Maldives another opportunity for international recognition across destination appeal, visitor experiences, environmental initiatives and tourism promotion. Whether it retains the overall destination title will be determined when the worldwide award results are released.

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