(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles could add more awards to its collection as the voting for the 2018 World Travel Awards starts.

The 115-island archipelago in the western Indian Ocean has been nominated in categories such as Indian Ocean's Leading Beach Destination, Indian Ocean's Leading Cruise Destination, Indian Ocean's Leading Destination and Indian Ocean's Leading Green Destination, among others.

Votes are cast by travel professionals and consumers. People in the industry are being urged to vote online, on the World Travel Awards website, for the island nation.

“Awards like these always accentuate on the strengths of our destination and the industry. It also influences people’s choice when using a particular service or choosing a destination to spend their vacation,” said Sherin Francis, the chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board.

Among the nominees are Air Seychelles, the national airline of the island nation, Port Victoria for leading cruise port, and Constance Ephelia and North Island for the leading green resort.

Those interested in voting have until August 19 to do so. Winners will be announced at the Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony to be hosted at the Durban International Convention Centre in South Africa, on October 6.

One award that Seychelles has already secured this past month was the Destination Satisfaction Index (DSI) Award Africa. The prize was presented to the STB Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Edith Hunzinger, during the ITB Berlin, one of the biggest international tourism fairs held worldwide. This comes after the island nation topped all African countries within the index with a score of 8.6 out of 10.

“Awards like this one re-iterates the fact that Seychelles is still a very desirable destination despite the shortcomings we face. Our visitors are conscious that it is a premium destination,” said Francis.

She added that “conservation comes at a cost, but it is highly rewarding at the same time. I would like to take this opportunity to call upon everyone in the industry to keep doing their part to keep Seychelles as a dream holiday destination.”

Developed by Norstat and dp2research, the index combines all factors that attract travellers to a holiday destination, giving the person a comprehensive overall valuation.

Barbados walked away with the DSI Award World with a score of 8.8.

Throughout 2017, over 70,000 global travellers from 24 markets rated their trips across the world to select the index winners of this year. The travellers rated destinations according to 20 categories including the food, beach quality, accommodation. They also gave their feedback on their personal security, level of hospitality and the total cost-benefit-ratio of the trip.