Champa brothers Mohamed “Uchchu” Moosa and Hussain Afeef have been awarded South Asian Travel Awards (SATA)’s 'Face of South Asia' Award.

Chairman of Champa Brothers Company Uchchu and Chairman of Crown Group Hussain Afeef received the coveted 'Face of South Asia' Award in recognition of their services to the tourism industry in the South Asian region.

SATA honored the two Champa brothers during a ceremony held at Meeru Maldives on Sunday.

The award was presented to the two pioneers of the tourism industry by Vice President of SATA Suraj Khan.

After receiving the award, the two brothers expressed joy and stated that they had not expected such an award.

Speaking at the ceremony, the SATA’s Vice President Khan shed light on the several services Uchchu and Afeef have rendered to the tourism sector and thanked them for their contributions.

It has been more than 50 years since the tourism industry’s inception and Khan applauded their significant role in bringing the island nation’s tourism to where it is today.

He went on to shed light on their commitment to modernizing tourism and their close relationship with the industry.

Khan noted that Uchchu and Champa Brothers are renowned names not only in the Maldives but also internationally.

Attribute this to Uchchu’s leading role in advancing and sustaining the tourism sector, Khan highlighted his success in several other sectors including hospitality, agriculture, real estate, and financial services.

Highlighting that Afeef has not only contributed significantly to the tourism sector but has also played a crucial role in developing other related industries, Khan recognized Afeef as one of the foremost figures in bringing the tourism industry to its current state.

The 'Face of South Asia' Award recognizes outstanding individuals in the South Asian tourism industry.

In the past, SATA has awarded the 'Face of South Asia' to three individuals, including two from Nepal and one from Bangladesh.