The Maldives has once again secured its position as a global tourism leader after being named World’s Leading Destination 2025 for the sixth consecutive year and World’s Leading Green Destination 2025 for the second consecutive year at the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony, held at Exhibition World Bahrain.

The World Travel Awards, established in 1993, are recognised worldwide as the highest honour in the global travel and tourism industry. The awards celebrate excellence across all sectors of travel and tourism and are determined through international voting from industry professionals and the public.

Winning the title of World’s Leading Destination for six years in a row marks a historic achievement for the Maldives, reflecting the destination’s long-term consistency, strong brand presence, and sustained global appeal. The Maldives’ second consecutive win as World’s Leading Green Destination highlights its ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainable tourism development, and the protection of its fragile marine ecosystems.

These recognitions come during a year of record-breaking performance for the Maldives. Visitor arrivals reached the two million milestone earlier than any previous year, and the destination is firmly on track to achieve the national target of 2.3 million arrivals by the end of 2025. Strong market performance has been supported by strategic global campaigns, high-impact partnerships, expanded trade engagements, and improved destination visibility across key markets.

Throughout 2025, Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) delivered a series of coordinated global initiatives that strengthened the Maldives’ leadership position. These included major ambassador programmes, large-scale digital campaigns, targeted roadshows, co-branded partnerships, and the launch of the 2026 “Ocean Nation” theme. The Maldives also increased its presence at international trade fairs and executed successful collaborative marketing efforts with industry partners across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

In addition to the two world titles, the Maldives received three regional honours at this year’s awards:

·   Indian Ocean’s Best MICE Destination 2025: Maldives

·   Indian Ocean’s Best Incentive Destination 2025: Malé

·   Indian Ocean’s Best Tourism Authority Website 2025: VisitMaldives.com

These regional recognitions reflect the Maldives’ expanding tourism portfolio, which now includes MICE travel, incentive markets, urban tourism, and digitally enhanced visitor engagement.

The Maldives’ success at the World Travel Awards is a result of the collective efforts of the tourism industry, local communities, government stakeholders, and the global travel trade. The awards reinforce the Maldives’ position as a leading premium destination and affirm the effectiveness of continuous, year-round destination promotion carried out by VMC and its partners.