The World Travel Awards rolled into the Maldives this month, handing out its Asia, Oceania and Indian Ocean honours at a gala held at CROSSROADS Maldives — the third stop on the awards' 2026 Grand Tour. Bank of Maldives sponsored the night, with Visit Maldives as official host destination partner.
The headline grabber was Vietnam, voted Asia's Leading Destination, a notable nod for a country that has been quietly building a reputation for value, food and varied scenery beyond the usual beach circuit. The Philippines doubled up, taking both Asia's Leading Beach Destination and Leading Tourist Board — a boost for its 7,000-plus islands and its push to lure more long-haul visitors. Over in Oceania, New Zealand was named the region's Leading Destination, with Sydney taking the city award.
The hosts did rather well for themselves. The Maldives walked away with five titles, including Indian Ocean's Leading Destination, plus a haul of resort wins: The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort picked up a double for honeymoon and luxury island categories, while Hard Rock Hotel Maldives, SAii Lagoon Maldives and SO/ Maldives took the all-inclusive, family and lifestyle resort awards respectively. .Here Baa Atoll was named the Indian Ocean's Leading New Resort. Seychelles took the region's Leading Beach Destination title, keeping its friendly rivalry with the Maldives alive.
Getting there is clearly part of the appeal: Velana International Airport won Indian Ocean's Leading Airport, Maldivian was named the region's Leading Airline Brand, and Trans Maldivian Airways took the seaplane operator award — the fleet of twin-otters that shuttles guests from Male to their resort island is an experience in itself. Elsewhere, Hong Kong International Airport was voted Asia's Leading Airport, Vietnam Airlines won awards for customer experience and premium economy, and InterContinental Sapporo and InterContinental Brisbane were the leading new hotels in Asia and Oceania.
Why should a traveller care? Awards like these are essentially a curated shortlist. If you're torn between destinations for 2026, the results suggest Vietnam is peaking as an all-rounder, the Philippines is the pick for beach-first trips, and New Zealand plus Sydney remain the safe bets down under. On the hotel side, the Maldives dominance is no surprise, but the newcomer winners — Sapporo, Brisbane, Baa Atoll — flag where fresh inventory has just opened up before prices climb.
WTA founder Graham Cooke called the Maldives 'one of the world's most iconic destinations' as he congratulated the winners, and Visit Maldives managing director Abdullah Yasir said the night gave the country momentum heading into the global category votes. Those worldwide winners will be decided later in the Grand Tour, so expect another round of results worth scanning before you book your next big trip.
