The ‘Oscars of the travel industry’, the World Travel Awards, has arrived in the Maldives for the glittering Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony.

The event will be hosted at Paradise Island Resort & Spa this evening.

Internationally recognised performers will entertain a 300 strong audience of travel industry professionals who will take their seats alongside celebrities and government dignitaries.

All are eager to know who has won a prestigious World Travel Awards trophy.

The event has been made possible by collaborations between World Travel Awards and Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, Let’s Go Maldives, SriLankan Airlines, Azidon and the Paradise Island Resort & Spa, part of the Villa Hotels Group.

World Travel Awards celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year, and the Gala Ceremony in the Maldives is a first, celebrating the 40th year of tourism promotion in the Maldives.

The 2013 World Travel Awards Grand Tour will see awards presented across five continents culminating in the Grand Finale at the end of 2013.