Sri Lanka will take center stage, with our country pavilion hosted by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka – Maldives Business Council (SLMBC) and 20 other Sri Lankan hospitality Industry related companies also independently joining the 19th edition of Hotel Asia Exhibition & International Culinary Challenge from October 20 to 22, 2025, which is considered Maldives’ largest and most influential hospitality trade event.
“The Culinary Challenge, an annual event since 2008 is only for the culinary chefs and emerging talents working in the Maldives across the archipelago. This event’s exhibition however is open for any country to participate for trading and networking. Therefore this vibrant event will showcase a large number of trade participants from Sri Lanka, numbering 20.” Said COO of Maldives Exhibition & Conference Services, Pvt. Ltd, the organizers of the event.
Sri Lanka will uniquely occupy 20% of the stalls
High Commissioner of Maldives in Sri Lanka, Masoos Imad
After the hosts Maldives’ bulk share of 35% of the stalls, Sri Lanka will uniquely occupy 20% of the stalls and will thus have the second largest number of stalls at the event. They will feature Sri Lankan innovation across food, hospitality, wellness, and sustainability-strengthening ties with the Maldivian market during a time of tourism recovery.
Launched in 2000 with just 42 stalls and 37 chefs, the exhibition has grown exponentially. This year, 300 stalls and participants from 48 countries – including Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, China, Thailand, UAE, USA, and Switzerland – will converge to showcase world-class brands and emerging entrepreneurs. With 35% of the stalls occupied by the host country, and 20% by Sri Lanka, the balance 45% of the stalls will be spread amongst the 48 other countries participating.
Leading Resorts, Hotels, Restaurants, and F&B trailblazers will anchor the exhibition’s impact on regional tourism and trade. Hotel Asia 2025 isn’t just an industry showcase – it’s a marketplace of ideas, partnerships, and culinary artistry.
The annual culinary competition held alongside the exhibition since 2008 which is for the Maldivian chefs as well as all chefs- international professionals, celebrated chefs, and visionary innovators working across the Maldives, becomes a dynamic gathering of chefs that work in the Maldives’ most vibrant tourism hubs. Thus the Culinary Challenge is renowned for its legacy of cultivating world-class Chefs over the years and is endorsed by WACS and internationally recognized as a World Chefs Competition.
Chef Alan Palmer, Project Director, Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge 2025
Responding to a question posed by Sunday Observer Explorer on the judges for the completion to Chef Alan Palmer, Project Director of Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge 2025, he said “there will be 30 judges in total and they will be flying in to the Maldives from across the world, all experts in culinary. There will be 10 from the host country Maldives and the balance will be from various other countries”, he added.
Project Director Alan Palmer, a seasoned Chef with over 62 years of experience, will be among the esteemed judges. As an Honorary Lifetime Member of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), Chef Alan Palmer’s name is not just synonymous with the glamour of culinary arts but also commands respect and admiration in the truest sense.
The inception of the Culinary Challenge aimed to inspire local Maldivians to venture into a culinary landscape predominantly occupied by foreigners. Today, the increasing number of locals pursuing careers in the culinary field stands as evidence that the Culinary Challenge has not only sparked interest but also paved the way for aspiring culinary enthusiasts. The prevailing belief is that success at the Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge serves as a testament to one’s capability anywhere in the world, underscoring the caliber of the judging panel.
COO, Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd., Husnie Raus
As per the tourism arrivals numbers showing as at March 31, 2025, the Maldives has welcomed 587,000 visitors, a 5.6% year-on-year increase, led by arrivals from China, Russia, and the United Kingdom. With a targeted 2.2 million arrivals by year-end, the country is well on its way to another record-breaking tourism milestone.
Supporting this growth, the Maldives boasts an operational bed capacity of 65,448, spanning:
• 183 resorts with 44,689 beds
• 932 guesthouses with 13,972 beds
• 15 hotels with 2,038 beds
• 155 safari vessels with 4,749 beds
This extensive accommodation network ensures the country is well-equipped to host the expanding wave of global travelers drawn by its natural beauty and strategic industry alliances.
Strategic partnerships—such as the Maldives’ brand affiliations with Liverpool FC and Mumbai Indians—have further heightened global interest in the region.
Sri Lanka’s robust participation reflects its agility, ambition, and growing influence across South Asia’s trade and hospitality ecosystem, but ought to clinch the opportunity to learn from these shining examples of great methods that Maldives adopts to promote Tourism.
The trade exhibition held alongside this culinary competition becomes a meeting ground for those who are in hospitality products and services thereby it strongly assists Maldives Tourism -an initiative that Sri Lanka can take a leaf from.
Head Table from left to right-; • Senior Vice President, Sri Lanka Maldives Business Council, Sanjeewa Perera • President, Sri Lanka Maldives Business Council, Sudesh Mendis, • CEO, Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd., Aasim Mukthar,, • COO, Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd., Husnie Raus, • High Commissioner of Maldives in Sri Lanka, Masoos Imad, • Chairman, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Mangala Wijesinghe,• Chef Alan Palmer, Project Director, Hotel Asia International Culinary Challenge 2025
