World Travel Awards (WTA) has touched down in the Maldives, as the finishing touches are put together in preparation of the Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2017.
The prestigious event will take place this Saturday (8th July) at the five star Sun Aqua Vilu Reef, with hospitality leaders from across the region expected to attend to discover who among them has been voted the pinnacle of the travel industry.
Maldivian Idol hosts Moosa Waseem and Aminath Lamha Latheef – two of the most familiar faces on Maldivian television – will compere the event, which will also allow attendees to get in touch with authentic Maldivian culture through traditional dances such as Bandiya and Maafathi. The main act for the evening will be performed by the legendary Maldivian singer Unoosha.
Speaking ahead of the event, WTA President and Founder Graham Cooke, said: “It will be our pleasure to welcome guests to Sun Aqua Vilu Reef. With just days to go until the event, we are putting the finishing touches in place and we look forward to greeting all our guests at what is a wonderful resort in a picturesque tourist hotspot.”
Sun Aqua Vilu Reef offers 103 luxurious rooms and suites – all of which come with deep soaking tubs, complimentary Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service.
Beyond the bedrooms, guest can indulge in a signature spice-scented scrub at the spa or borrow a book to read while soaking up the sun on the pristine beach.
When night falls, sample one of Sun Aqua Vilu Reef’s restaurants serving a range of international cuisine, before enjoying a sundowner cocktail while listening to DJ spun tunes.
Evgenia Boyankova, Group Director of Business Development at Sun Siyam Resorts, added: “We are getting ready for World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony with great excitement.
“Myself and the team look forward to welcoming the participants to our boutique resort where Maldivian hospitality, culture and luxury is unrivalled, this Saturday.”
World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.
Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.
Each year, World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.
World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media.
A full list of nominees for the World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2017 can be seen at: www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2017/indian-ocean
World Travel Awards celebrates its 24th anniversary this year and is acknowledged across the globe as the ultimate travel accolade.
Attended by senior executives from major travel companies, operators, destinations, WTA events are universally respected as providing established, top-level networking opportunities, regionally and globally.
The brand aims to celebrate those organisations who push the boundaries of industry excellence.
The special event held to mark the opening of the Sun Siyam Group
The evening was brought to a start with the opening speech by 
It was followed by a presentation by Director of Business Development of Sun Siyam Resorts, Evgenia Boyankova, who covered the topic on “Traveling to Maldives: Everyone can find something special”. True to its title, Maldives definitely caters to one’s own needs. It is a destination for families, couples, singles, honeymooners, friends, the adventurous and the relaxed spa goers alike.
With the easy flight connections available from the KSA, Mr. 
During the event, there were raffles drawn with holidays to Maldives sponsored by Sun Siyam Resorts and tickets to Maldives sponsored by Saudi Airlines. 
The whole team at the resort are deeply committed to protecting marine life. As of now seven turtle nests have been found on the property. In order to ensure the future of the sea turtles in the Maldivian waters, new hatchlings are cared for at the resort. This program of nest protection and rearing led the resort to work with local island communities so as to encourage the protection of turtle nests. Furthermore, to give these beloved sea creatures a chance at survival, Corporate Social Responsibility Department of the resort in associate with students of nearby island school, hosts a program for “releasing baby turtles”.
Once the protected hatchlings have imprinted on the sand, majority is released into their natural habitat. Although, at times, some have to be taken to be reared in the specialized pools for up to 18 months in order to improve their chances of survival in the sea. While in the care of the resort team, the turtles are monitored, kept clean, weighed and measured regularly on a weekly basis. They are fed daily a fresh diet of squid, lobster, and fish eggs. The turtles are reared until they are 30 centimeters and weigh 4 kilos, this is to further ensure their safety as at this size they are big enough to not be a snack for most of the predators which hunt baby turtles.
Help us to SAVE THE SEA TURTLE and preserve our marine environment, this is the wish of each of the team member at the Sun Aqua Vilu Reef.
Sea turtles are an endangered species. Human activities have made a negative impact on the survival of these ancient majestic creatures. We all need to do our part in order to protect them.
