The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) has given over 50 awards to honour organisations and individuals that have exceptionally contributed to the tourism industry of the Maldives over the past 50 years.
The awards were given at the 50 Years of Tourism Awards ceremony held by MATI at Kurumba Maldives. The event marks the beginning of the celebrations of the golden jubilee of tourism in the Maldives planned by MATI. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih attended the event as the chief guest.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Chairman of MATI Mohamed Umar Maniku highlighted the importance of giving out the awards in order to recognise individuals and organisations that have made valuable contributions to the tourism industry. He noted that the tourism industry of the Maldives is globally recognised as a success story and that gratitude should be shown to those who have assisted in its development.
A total of 57 awards were given at the ceremony which included four awards given to the pioneers of Maldives tourism and two awards given to previous presidents in recognition of their contribution to the tourism industry. The winners included individuals, resorts, airlines, companies, and travel agencies. They were selected by a committee of industry experts and veterans that comprehensively vetted and evaluated all nominations received.
Additionally, MATI announced that it has organised different activities in light of this year being the golden jubilee of tourism, which includes The Chevening-MATI Scholarships partnership, release of two coffee table books titled “Maldivian Resort Architecture - 50 years of island resorts” authored by Mauroof Jameel and “50 years of Tourism in Maldives - the Pioneers, People and Policies that shaped the Industry” authored by Dr. Simad Saeed, as well as a partnership with Parley Maldives to tackle plastic pollution and promote environmental conservation. The association also plans to hold a ceremony to give out 265 lifetime awards to individuals working in the tourism industry.