The Maldives has been nominated for the World's Leading Destination and World's Leading Green Destination categories in this year's World Travel Awards, one of the most prestigious tourism awards globally.

The Maldives has defended the title of the world's most popular destination among tourists for the past five years.

This year, in addition to that title, the Maldives is also competing for the most popular sustainable tourism destination on a global scale. Voting for these two awards will take place from the 6th to the 26th of this month.

According to Visit Maldives, if these titles are achieved, it will be a global recognition of the Maldives' success in environmental protection and establishing sustainable practices in the tourism industry.

"This is a great honor involving the participation of resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards, and the entire industry. With the start of voting, it's a great encouragement for the advancement of Maldivian tourism, which is our pride, for everyone to enthusiastically vote together to defend these positions," said Ibrahim Shiury, Managing Director of Visit Maldives.

The World Travel Awards, introduced in 1993, is the most popular award in the travel industry, symbolizing the most notable honor in the global tourism and travel industry.