Sri Lanka wins Visitors’ Choice Award for Leading Wellness Destination at SATA 2026

Sri Lanka has won the Visitors' Choice award for Leading Wellness Destination at the 2026 South Asian Travel Awards, held in Malé on 8 October.

High Commissioner to the Maldives M. Rizvi Hassen received the award, according to Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry. The organiser lists Sri Lanka as the wellness-destination winner in its account of the ceremony.

The tenth edition took place at Barceló Nasandhura Malé, bringing together tourism businesses and industry representatives from across South Asia.

The awards cover Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, recognising travel and hospitality businesses alongside destination categories. Hotels, resorts, travel agencies, tour operators and airlines are among the sectors represented.

The organiser describes the Visitors' Choice awards as reflecting votes cast by travellers from around the world. Sri Lanka's recognition falls within that public-vote section.

The Foreign Ministry connected the result with the country's Ayurveda traditions, landscapes and range of wellness experiences, presenting these as features of its tourism offering.

The recognition is for Sri Lanka as a destination, with individual hotels, resorts and service providers assessed in separate categories across the wider competition.

Other Visitors' Choice results listed by the organiser include the Maldives for adventure and Bhutan for heritage. SriLankan Airlines was recognised as the leading international airline.

SATA was established in 2016. Its 2026 programme marked ten editions of the regional awards, which bring together participants from the six countries.

The ministry described an assessment process combining public participation with professional evaluations conducted by a multinational judging panel. It reported more than two million online votes across the year's awards.

The Malé ceremony recognised businesses and destinations across different areas of travel, tourism and hospitality. Sri Lanka's wellness result formed part of that programme, with the high commission representing the country when the destination award was presented.