Online voting for the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) will close by the end of Saturday.

According to the SATA Secretariat, votes can be cast via the official website till June 30 and evaluation of nominees by a jury would be carried in June and July.

Nominations for the third edition of SATA, which consists of 36 categories in 10 segments, closed in March with a record 500 plus nominations.

SATA is the first ever regional travel awards endorsed by multinational associations that recognizes excellence in facilities and services provided by the South Asian tourism sector. It aims to encourage and raise service standards in the region’s tourism industry.

The brand is the first of its kind with affiliations from regional associations, ensuring a smooth and transparent procedure. The judging panel will consist of high-profile senior representatives with expert knowledge and experience of the industry to assure an accurate and fair process.

The awards’ first edition, which wrapped up with a gala ceremony at Mount Lavinia Hotel in Sri Lanka, saw an overwhelming support with more than 260 nominations. Major travel media organisations, including Maldives Insider, Asian Traveller, Asian Geographic, Asian Diver and Floating Asia were appointed as media partners of SATA 2016.

In SATA 2017, more than 414 nominations from Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal were received for the 39 categories and concluded with an awards ceremony in Addu City last October.

Organizations that endorse SATA are Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) , Hotel & Restaurants Association of Bhutan (HRAB), Colombo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation (MMPRC), Maldives Association of Travel Agents & Tour Operators (MATATO), Confederation of Associated Tour Operators (India), Association of Travel Agents (ATA) Maldives, Association of Travel and Tour Operators India (ATTOI), Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT, India),  Kerala Hotel General Managers Club (KHGMC), Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Liveaboard Association of Maldives (LAM).