CROSSROADS Maldives welcomed the 2026 regional gala, with honours spanning destinations, resorts, hotels, airlines, airports and tour operators.
Tourism, hospitality and aviation organisations from Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean were recognised at the World Travel Awards regional gala at CROSSROADS Maldives on September 27, 2026.
- The World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026 was held at CROSSROADS Maldives on September 27.
- Vietnam, New Zealand and the Maldives were among the destination winners across the three regions.
- Awards also recognised hotels, resorts, airlines, airports and tour operators, including several Maldives-based businesses.
- The Maldives received five Indian Ocean titles, including Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination.
(NEWS) MALÉ, Maldives, 2026-Sep-28 — /Travel PR News/ — Destinations, airlines, airports, hotels and tour operators from across three major travel regions gathered in the Maldives on September 27 as the World Travel Awards named its 2026 winners for Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean.
The World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026 took place at CROSSROADS Maldives, with the Maldives serving as Official Host Destination, Bank of Maldives as Platinum Sponsor and CROSSROADS Maldives as Host Partner. The event formed the third leg of the organisation’s 2026 Grand Tour.
Destination honours stretch from Vietnam to the Maldives
Vietnam was named Asia’s Leading Destination, while the Philippines received both Asia’s Leading Beach Destination and Asia’s Leading Tourist Board. In Oceania, New Zealand took the regional Leading Destination title and Sydney was named Oceania’s Leading City Destination.
The host country also collected a series of regional honours. The Maldives received five Indian Ocean titles, including Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination, alongside recognition as the region’s Leading Dive Destination, Leading Green Destination and Leading Honeymoon Destination. Visit Maldives Corporation was named Indian Ocean’s Leading Tourist Board. Seychelles, meanwhile, received Indian Ocean’s Leading Beach Destination.
The full 2026 winners list extends across a wide range of national and regional categories, reflecting the breadth of businesses and destinations represented at the ceremony.
Hotels and resorts feature prominently
Hospitality awards ranged from established luxury properties to newly opened hotels and resorts. The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort won Indian Ocean’s Leading Luxury Resort and Maldives’ Leading Luxury Resort, while Omana, New Zealand was recognised as Oceania’s Leading Boutique Hotel.
Among newer properties, InterContinental Sapporo was named Asia’s Leading New Hotel, InterContinental Brisbane received Oceania’s Leading New Hotel, and .Here Baa Atoll, Maldives won Indian Ocean’s Leading New Resort.
Other Maldives hospitality winners highlighted by the organisers included Hard Rock Hotel Maldives as Maldives’ Leading All-Inclusive Resort, SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton as Maldives’ Leading Family Resort and SO/ Maldives as Maldives’ Leading Lifestyle Resort.
Aviation winners span airports and airlines
The aviation categories brought recognition to operators across the region. Hong Kong International Airport was named Asia’s Leading Airport, while Vietnam Airlines won Asia’s Leading Airline – Customer Experience and Asia’s Leading Airline – Premium Economy Class.
In the Indian Ocean, Velana International Airport was named the region’s Leading Airport, Maldivian received Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline Brand and Trans Maldivian Airways was recognised as Indian Ocean’s Leading Seaplane Operator. Vietravel also received the title of Asia’s Leading Tour Operator.
Graham Cooke, Founder of World Travel Awards, said the ceremony celebrated organisations from across Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean, while Abdullah Yasir, Managing Director of Visit Maldives, highlighted the range of recognition received by the destination, its tourism organisation and Maldivian travel businesses.
Established in 1993, World Travel Awards runs regional ceremonies as part of an annual programme covering different parts of the global tourism industry. Following the Maldives event, the organisation’s 2026 Grand Tour continues with further regional ceremonies before its global awards programme.
