Maldives has won the Best International Island Destination title at the Outlook Traveller Awards 2017.

The winners were announced at a gala ceremony held on April 28 at the Roseate House in Indian capital New Delhi.

The annual Outlook Traveller Awards, which is currently in its 10th edition, facilitates the best in the travel industry with 28 recognitions. This year, the awards were divided into three main categories; 15 Jury awards, two Editor’s Choice awards and 11 Readers’ Choice awards.

Since its inception in June 2001, the Outlook Traveller magazine has catered to the needs of the growing number of travellers. A pioneer in many ways, the magazine has over the last 16 years published many articles on the hidden gems of India, contributing to the tourist flow.

Travel and tourism sector of India ranks seventh in the world in terms of the total contribution to GDP. India has also been one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in recent years, from 13 million in 2010 to 19.4 million in 2015. This is expected to grow further with an estimated 32.3 million outbound trips in 2020 making India the fastest growing market in the world.

India has become a major emerging source market for the Maldives’ tourism industry.

Official figures show that 66,955 tourists arrived in Maldives from its closest neighbour last year, a 27.9 percent increase from the 52,368 Indian travellers that chose the Maldives in 2015.

That growth is expected to continue this year as well, as the number of Indian tourists that visited the Maldives recorded a 21.1 percent increase in the first three months to reach 17,156 compared to 14,171 in the same period last year.