South Asian Travel Awards 2025 Gala In Colombo: Celebrating And Recognizing The Outstanding Hotels, Resorts, Airlines, And Destinations From Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Bhutan, Nepal, And Bangladesh

Published on September 27, 2025

Sri Lanka became nan halfway of nan South Asian recreation and tourism segment arsenic it hosted nan prestigious South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2025. The ninth version of SATA took spot astatine nan iconic Cinnamon Grand Colombo, attracting cardinal figures from nan tourism, hospitality, and aviation sectors. This renowned arena celebrates nan outstanding achievements successful South Asia’s tourism industry, bringing together tourism authorities, manufacture leaders, and distinguished guests from Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

The SATA 2025 Grand Gala marked a momentous occasion, acknowledging not conscionable nan operational excellence of nan region’s best, but besides their resilience, innovation, and unwavering committedness to sustainable tourism. Against nan backdrop of Sri Lanka’s rich | taste heritage, nan evening celebrated South Asia’s corporate spirit, further cementing nan region’s increasing prominence connected nan world tourism stage.

With nan South Asian Travel Awards, nan region’s recreation manufacture showcases its strength, innovation, and unity. As nan arena recognizes nan brightest stars successful hospitality, tourism, and aviation, it serves arsenic an invaluable level for nations to merge successful a shared imagination of excellence and growth.

This article delves into nan highlights of SATA 2025, nan outstanding grant winners, and nan continued maturation of tourism successful South Asia, an manufacture that is redefining nan world recreation scenery pinch its creativity, hospitality, and taste richness.

Key Highlights of SATA 2025

• 53 Gold and 113 Silver Awards: Celebrating nan champion successful tourism and hospitality crossed South Asia.
• Visionary Leaders Recognized: The SATA Faces of South Asia honored individuals who person shaped nan region’s tourism sector.
• Visitors’ Choice Awards: Recognizing nan favourite destinations arsenic chosen by world travelers.
• Leading Travel and Hospitality Brands: Awards for apical luxury resorts, hotels, airlines, and circuit operators from crossed South Asia.

A Night of Recognition and Inspiration

The South Asian Travel Awards 2025 brought together a divers array of distinguished individuals and organizations. Attendees included tourism ministers, manufacture stakeholders, and firm partners, each of whom celebrated nan corporate achievements of South Asia’s recreation and hospitality industry.

A Key Highlight of nan Evening: SATA Faces of South Asia

One of nan evening’s astir anticipated moments was nan nickname of nan SATA – Faces of South Asia awards, a tribute to visionary leaders who person made important contributions to shaping nan region’s tourism and hospitality sector. The honorees included:

• Ms. Nandini Lahe-Thapa: Retired Senior Director, Nepal Tourism Board (Nepal)
• Ms. Jyoti Mayal: Former President, Travel Agents Association of India (India)
• Mr. Mohamed Waheeduddeen: Chairman, Bandos Island Resort (Maldives)
• Deshamanya D. Harry S. Jayawardena: Chairman Emeritus, Aitken Spence PLC (Sri Lanka)

These leaders person played pivotal roles successful promoting and expanding tourism successful their respective countries and proceed to animate early generations.

Visitors’ Choice Awards: The Voice of Global Travelers

The Visitors’ Choice Awards, which bespeak nan preferences of world travelers, are among nan astir highly anticipated recognitions of nan evening. The winners for SATA 2025 included:

• Leading Adventure Destination – Maldives
• Leading Heritage Destination – Bhutan
• Leading MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) Destination – Sri Lanka
• Leading Wellness Destination – Sri Lanka

These awards item nan increasing entreaty of South Asia’s divers destinations, which connection thing for each type of traveler, from those seeking escapade and practice to those successful hunt of wellness and relaxation.

Honoring Excellence successful South Asian Hospitality and Travel

The Gold Awards astatine SATA 2025 recognized nan finest successful South Asian hospitality, tourism, and aviation. Some of nan standout winners included:

• Leading Travel Agent – Inbound: Aitken Spence Travels (Sri Lanka)
• Leading Travel Agent – Outbound: Hayleys Travels Pvt Ltd (Sri Lanka)
• South Asia’s Best General Managers:
  • Ahmed Zahir (Angsana Velavaru, Maldives)
  • Digvijay Singh (Conrad Bengaluru, India)
  • Karthi VK (Holiday Inn Express Kathmandu Naxal, Nepal)
  • Khagendra Dahal (Hotel Tashi Yid-Wong Grand, Bhutan)
  • Kamal Munasinghe (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Sri Lanka)
• Leading Luxury Resort: The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
• Leading Luxury Hotel: Shangri-La Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Most Romantic Resort: You & Me Maldives
• Leading Heritage Hotel/Resort: Zhiwaling Heritage, Bhutan
• South Asia’s Best New Hotel/Resort: Hilton Kathmandu, Nepal
• Leading All-Inclusive Resort: Heritance Aarah, Maldives
• Leading Wellness & Spa Hotel/Resort: Heritance Ayurveda, Sri Lanka
• Leading International Airline: SriLankan Airlines
• Leading Tourist Transport Provider (Air): Trans Maldivian Airways (Pvt) Ltd, Maldives

These awards underscore nan innovation, luxury, and exceptional work that person go synonymous pinch nan South Asian recreation and hospitality industry.

Partners and Sponsors: Acknowledging nan Contributors

The occurrence of nan SATA 2025 Grand Gala was made imaginable by nan invaluable support of various partners and sponsors who person helped elevate nan South Asian tourism sector. Key sponsors included:

• Destination Partner: Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)
• Host Hotel: Cinnamon Grand Colombo
• Platinum Partner: Honda Marine Maldives
• Gold Partners: The Hawks Pvt Ltd, Velana International Airport, Allied Insurance Company of nan Maldives
• Silver Partners: Bizspoke, Renaatus
• Airline Partner: SriLankan Airlines

Hospitality Partners included salient hotels and resorts specified arsenic Mandarina Colombo (Sri Lanka), Sheraton Grand Bangalore (India), Hulhule Island Hotel (Maldives), and Holiday Inn Express Kathmandu Naxal (Nepal), among others.

These partnerships bespeak nan beardown collaboration betwixt backstage and nationalist assemblage players successful South Asia, moving together to build a resilient and sustainable tourism industry.

Conclusion: A Bright Future for South Asian Tourism

The South Asian Travel Awards 2025 was not conscionable a ceremony of achievements but besides a reaffirmation of South Asia’s position arsenic a leader successful nan world tourism landscape. With its divers destinations, rich | taste heritage, and increasing tourism infrastructure, South Asia continues to tie attraction from world travelers and manufacture stakeholders alike.

As nan tourism assemblage successful South Asia moves forward, nan region’s committedness to excellence, innovation, and sustainability will only proceed to grow, mounting caller benchmarks for nan world recreation industry. SATA’s continued nickname of nan finest successful hospitality and tourism underscores nan dedication and difficult activity of those who person helped style nan region’s recreation and tourism landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• SATA 2025 celebrated nan champion successful South Asian hospitality, tourism, and aviation astatine a spectacular Grand Gala successful Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• Leading winners included apical resorts, hotels, airlines, and recreation agents from Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
• SATA Faces of South Asia honored visionary leaders who person shaped nan tourism industry.
• Visitors’ Choice Awards highlighted favourite destinations for illustration Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
• SATA’s growth underscores South Asia’s expanding power successful nan world tourism sector.