Maldives was named the islands with the best places to stay at the Condé Nast Traveller’s 2017 Readers’ Travel Awards, reaffirming its position as one the world’s preferred destinations.

The annual awards ceremony was held at the Ham Yard Hotel in central London on September 4. The prestigious award was accepted by the Maldives Ambassador to the UK, Ahmed Shiaan. “We are incredibly honoured that the readers of Conde Nast Traveller have once again chosen the Maldives as best islands for places to stay,” Shiaan said. “We have worked hard to remain the world standard in holiday luxury, and it’s wonderful to see that travellers appreciate how much our nation has to offer.”

Maldives hotels were also recognised, appearing in the top 10 lists of Best Holiday Hotels and Best Hotel Spas. Condé Nast Traveller is one of the UK’s leading luxury travel magazines, with a following of 1.3 million. Its Reader’s Travel Awards, voted for by the magazine’s readers, are among the most widely respected in the travel industry.

The UK travel market remains buoyant for the Maldives. By June, 51,737 tourist arrivals were recorded from UK. UK accounted for 7.9 per cent of the market share and is the third largest generator to Maldives in this period.

The Maldives Minister for Tourism, Hon. Moosa Zameer, said: “The UK is a crucial part of the Maldives’ tourism industry, and we are thrilled to receive this award in one of our most important markets. The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation and the Maldives Embassy in London have worked hard to promote our islands to the British people, and this achievement is a reflection of that effort. It’s exciting to see that we are still one the world’s favorite holiday destinations.” - TradeArabia News Service