Hotel Asia Maldives 2026 recognises key sponsors behind landmark 20th edition
Hotel Asia Maldives 2026 has recognised the leading sponsors and industry partners supporting the landmark 20th edition of the Hotel Asia Exhibition and International Culinary Challenge.
Their partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the Maldives’ hospitality, food service, culinary and tourism sectors through access to quality products, reliable supply solutions, training and professional development.
Organised by Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services (MECS), Hotel Asia Maldives has grown into a leading business-to-business platform for the hotel, resort, restaurant, catering and tourism industries. The 2026 exhibition will bring together suppliers, hospitality decision-makers, chefs, purchasing professionals and international brands from 28 to 30 September 2026 at the Synthetic Track, Hulhumalé. The International Culinary Challenge will take place from 27 to 30 September 2026 at The Maldives National University (MNU), Malé, and the Synthetic Track, Hulhumalé.
Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) continues as a Principal Sponsor of Hotel Asia Maldives. BBM has supported Hotel Asia since its inception and has maintained a strong focus on the International Culinary Challenge. Its support includes opportunities for chefs to compete, gain professional recognition and learn from internationally experienced judges. BBM also sponsors competition categories and major awards, including the BBM Chairman’s Trophy and the BBM Rising Talent Award, which recognise achievement among established and emerging Maldivian culinary professionals. Beyond the event, BBM contributes to culinary-sector development through international competition sponsorship for Maldivian chefs, initiatives supporting women and young chefs, pro-bono masterclasses with international chefs and the donation of a model kitchen to MNU to support practical culinary education and training.
SAFCO joins Hotel Asia Maldives 2026 as the event’s Diamond Sponsor. Founded in 1994, SAFCO is a UAE- based food-service and HORECA distributor with more than 30 years of industry experience. Its extensive portfolio includes gourmet products, pastry and bakery ingredients, dairy and cheese, meat and poultry, seafood, beverages, health and organic products, fresh produce, disposables and packaging. SAFCO distributes to more than 70 countries, represents over 300 brands and manages a portfolio of more than 25,000 SKUs. SAFCO’s participation strengthens the exhibition’s international sourcing and distribution network, enabling hotels, resorts, restaurants, cafés and caterers to explore a wide range of food-service products, ingredients and operational solutions.
International Food Solution (IFS) joins Hotel Asia Maldives 2026 as the Platinum Sponsor. Led by Charles Augustine, IFS is a Maldivian food-supply company serving the HORECA and retail industries through a portfolio of international food and non-food brands.Established in 2013, IFS supplies resorts, luxury hotels, restaurants and catering companies. Its operations are supported by substantial dry- and cold- storage capacity, HACCP certification, a customer-focused distribution model and retail outlets in Malé and Hulhumalé. The company offers tailored supply solutions designed to meet the operational requirements of the Maldivian hospitality and HORECA sector. IFS’s contribution as Platinum Sponsor reinforces Hotel Asia Maldives’ emphasis on quality, reliability and practical supply-chain partnerships for hospitality businesses.
Starkiss Gıda İthalat İhracat A.Ş. participates as a Gold Sponsor of Hotel Asia Maldives 2026.
Based in Adana, Türkiye, Starkiss is a fresh-produce and food-supply company serving professional kitchens, hotels, restaurants, major public institutions and private hospitals. The company has supplied fresh produce to customers in the Maldives for approximately 10 years and operates contract-based organic strawberry production across 975 decares in the Konya region. Its mission is to select products that meet customer requirements and deliver them through a reliable supply process, building long-term partnerships with hotels and food-service businesses through product variety, competitive pricing and continually improving service. At Hotel Asia Maldives 2026, Starkiss will showcase:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, Cheeses, Jams, Dried fruits
- Its new recyclable, thermally insulated packaging system for fresh-product transport
The new packaging system uses special thermal boxes designed to support freshness and product protection during transport, responding to local supply requirements.
Returning after participating in Hotel Asia last year, Starkiss will present a larger team and a broader product range.Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet Corporate Chef Fikret Özdemir, President of the Master Chefs Association in Türkiye, and discuss purchasing requirements while exploring the company’s fresh-produce and packaging solutions.
“We have been supplying fresh products from Türkiye to customers in the Maldives for approximately 10 years. Returning to Hotel Asia as a Gold Sponsor gives us a valuable opportunity to meet our partners, introduce our wider product range and present our new packaging system. We look forward to welcoming hospitality professionals to the Starkiss stand,” said İzzeddin Orhan, General Manager, Starkiss.
Starkiss aims to help hotels, restaurants, cafés and catering businesses source more of their requirements through one dependable supplier, supported by competitive pricing, product variety and a commitment to service.
The combined support of BBM, SAFCO, IFS and Starkiss demonstrates the value of collaboration between suppliers, distributors, culinary professionals and hospitality businesses.
Together, these partners contribute to Hotel Asia Maldives’ wider objective of creating commercial connections, improving access to global products and expertise, supporting young-chef development and strengthening the Maldives’ position as a world-class hospitality destination.
