Category: Maldives Tourism

Maldives Islands launched in Eastern Europe

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Maldives Tourism Promotion Board together with tourism industry held a series of road shows in Prague, Warsaw and Budapest on 20th , 22nd and 24th July 2009.

maldives islands

The road shows are the first step to introduce Maldives in these markets to utilize its potentiality, capture sufficient share of outbound market and to reduce country’s leverage on other markets.

The road shows has been organised to maximize publicity and yield greater business opportunities through B2B meeting with the 2 travel agents, 2 resort chains and 210 representative tour operators from respective cities.

Last year Maldives welcomed a total of 683,012 visitors of which 19100 visitors are from East European countries with a market share of 2.8%.

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Holiday Inn Malé to open in Maldives

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holiday inn maldives

The Maldives will see the opening of the first international-class hotel for its capital city, Malé. The 117-room Holiday Inn Malé will open on 1 September 2009. At 15 storeys, Holiday Inn Malé is the city’s newest and tallest hotel in the Maldives and in a 750-kilometre radius, commanding an unrivalled view of the harbour and beyond.

Just a short, five-minute speedboat ride from the international airport, the hotel will offer world-class meetings and conference facilities, food and beverage outlets, extensive recreation and leading-edge communication facilities. Located on the corner of Ameer Ahmed Magu, Holiday Inn Malé lies near the harbourfront, shops and markets and within a short walking distance to the various historical places of interest like the Old Friday Mosque, Sultan Park and The Presidential Palace. The hotel provides the perfect gateway to holidaymakers heading out to outlying resort islands.

Sporting the new livery, quality facilities and service of the global Holiday Inn brand family, Holiday Inn Malé boasts of 117 stylish rooms which include 17 Superior Rooms, 77 Deluxe Rooms, 13 Deluxe Ocean view Rooms, 9 Premiere Rooms and a Presidential Suite. All rooms feature either a king bed or two twin beds and offer amenities such as broadband Internet, LCD TVs, minibar, complimentary tea/coffee making facilities and in-room safes. As for dining and entertainment, there is a Lobby Café, an all day dining restaurant, a rooftop restaurant offering European/Japanese fusion cuisine and a 24 hour in-room dining.

The hotel also has a rooftop swimming pool, a well equipped fitness centre and the first branded Spa in Malé, Coconut Spa. Other full range of activities include scuba diving and snorkeling, big game fishing, island excursions and picnics, Malé city tour, photo flights, resort day visits, submarine trips and others.

For corporate meetings, there are four versatile meeting rooms including the Grand Ballroom offering 255 square metres of space, all equipped with the latest technology. They provide the ideal space for a range of function requirements: from seminars, board meetings and exhibitions, to wedding banquets and private celebrations catering for up to 180 persons, banquet style, or 240 for a reception.

“Holiday Inn Malé will offer leisure and corporate guests alike a perfect place to relax in comfort or conduct business with ease,” said Jolyon Bulley, vice president operations, South East and South West Asia, IHG Asia Australasia. “As the first IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) hotel in the Maldives, this represents an important milestone for IHG. It presents not only a strategic opportunity for the group to contribute to the thriving tourism industry in Maldives, but also play a significant role within the Malé community.”

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Maldives moves to protect whale sharks

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The Maldives has taken the first steps towards establishing a protected area for whale sharks. The government-backed initiative is being supported by biologists, diving professionals and representatives of the local community.

For years, the Maldives has been renowned for its whale shark encounters, which, while not as seasonal as those of the Seychelles, occur throughout the atolls during most of the year. Several locations – notably the exposed outer reef of South Ari Atoll – have emerged as whale-shark hotspots and attract boatloads of snorkelers on a daily basis.

whale shark

Spearheading the move to organize and regulate these encounters is a group of local biologists who have formed the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP). Since 2006, this group has been investigating the populations and behavior of whale sharks in the Maldives through photo-identification, prey surveys and by taking part in an international genetic analysis and tagging project.

So far, a database of 100 individual sharks has been compiled and is being used to track the movements of these sharks around the atolls. The group is also investigating stories of other whale shark hotspots across the archipelago: it is thought that the sharks journey around the Maldives in order to find seasonal eddies that concentrate their favorite food – zooplankton – into relatively small areas. The long-term plan is to establish protected areas in which snorkeling and boat activity will be controlled, and the sharks will have a refuge from open-ocean fisheries.

A meeting was held at the end of 2008 to consider ways of protecting the sharks and ensuring that all boats conform to a code of conduct.

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Maldives ranked as the Best Beach and Rest & Relaxation destination

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The Maldives has been ranked as the Best Country Brand for Beach and Best Country Brand for Rest and Relaxation for the year 2008. Maldives also ranked 2nd in the Best Country Brand for Natural Beauty and 3rd in the Best Country Brand for Resort and Lodging Options. The Country Brand Index was officially released during London’s World Travel Market in November 2008.

Country Brand Index is a comprehensive study of approximately 2,700 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries. It is conducted by FutureBrand, a global brand consultancy company and Weber Shandwick which is a public relations firm.

The main marketing slogan for the destination Maldives is “Maldives”¦the Sunny Side of Life”. The wellness and relaxation aspect is promoted under the theme of “Maldives”¦the Spiritual Side of Life”. Maldives was ranked number one in these two areas. Maldives emerged as the number one in both Beach and Rest and Relaxation categories after successfully competing with countries like Tahiti, Bahamas and Australia.

Maldives also won the ‘World’s Most Romantic Destination‘ award at the WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS last year.

Source: visitmaldives.com

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Veligandu Island Resort Reopens

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Veligandu Island Resort reopened on December 23, 2007. This resort named after its spectacular, long strip of sandy beach was closed for renovation in May this year. According the General Manager Mr Fathulla Ibrahim the 146 bed resort is now reopen with a number of new facilities and services that were not available before.

The arrival of 84 tourists in the afternoon marked the opening of the refurbished Veligandu Island Resort.

Veligandu is situated in Rasdhoo Atoll in North Ari Atoll, about 51 km from Male International Airport.

Veligandu Island Resort
North Ari Atoll
Telephone: (960) 666 0519
Facsimilie:  (960) 666 0648
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.veliganduisland.com

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Tourists start arriving at Herathere resort

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(Haveeru News Service – www.haveeru.com.mv) – The first batch of tourists have arrived in Addu atoll’s Herathere island resort which has had an informal opening.

Maldives Tourism Development Cooperation’s Chairman Hussain Afeef said that 16 tourists had arrived on Saturday and had expressed satisfaction with the resort.

The first international flight is scheduled to arrive at Gan airport next Sunday and many more tourists are expected to arrive thereafter, Afeef told a press conference.

The Condor flight is scheduled to arrive directly from European with 80 Italian tourists.

Maldives Tourism Promotion Board’s Marketing Executive Mohamed Maleeh said that a special ceremony will be held to mark their arrival.

This resort was originally scheduled to be opened in early November but the opening had to be delayed because some construction works were yet to be finished.

The 600-bed resort will first operate with 273 beds until all works are completed by January 15.

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Maldives named “World’s Most Romantic Destination”

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Maldives a longtime favorite destination for honeymooners around the world is named ‘World’s Most Romantic Destination’ at the 2007 World Travel Awards 14th Annual Gala Ceremony held on the islands of Turks & Caicos, Caribbean, on December 12, 2007.

World Travel Awards Winner

World Travel Awards

In addition Maldives won in the Indian Ocean’s category as follows.

The global winners of the World Travel Awards for 2007 were announced at a star-studded ceremony on the island of Providenciales, from votes cast by 167,000 tourism professionals and agents who were asked to vote. Next year’s voting register is likely to be even greater, due to the unprecedented levels of interest and expectation.

Hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’, World Travel Awards have been attracting media attention from all corners of the globe.

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Maldives nominated in five categories in the 14th Annual World Travel Awards

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The Maldives has been nominated in five categories in the 14th Annual World Travel Awards to be held in the Turks and Caicos Islands on the 12th December 2007. The five categories that Maldives got nominated are World’s Leading Destination, World’s Leading Dive Destination, World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination, World’s Leading Romantic Destination and World’s Leading Travel Television Commercial. In addition Maldives Tourism Promotion Board has been nominated in the World’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau category.

Furthermore, some of the Maldives tourism industry players have been nominated in important categories. In this regard Inner Maldives has been nominated in the World’s Leading Travel Agency category, Baros Maldives got nominated in World’s Leading Villa and World’s Leading Beach Resort category, Hilton Maldives has been nominated in World’s Leading Resort category and Huvafenfushi has been nominated in World’s Leading Spa Resort category.

Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as the “Travel industry’s equivalent to the Oscars”, the World Travel Awards are the most comprehensive and most prestigious awards program in the global travel industry. The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry. With thousands of votes cast by travel professionals from 167,000 travel agencies in over 160 countries across the globe, winning a World Travel Award has become one of the highest accolades a travel product can achieve.

The 2007 World Travel Awards world winners will be announced and presented at the gala ceremony which will take place in the islands of Turks & Caicos on the 12th December 2007. Candidates nomination for world winners categories are based on the results from the four regional ceremonies which took place in Abu Dhabi, New York, NewcastleGateshead and Bangalore in 2007.

MTPB won the Indian Oceans Leading Tourist and Visitor Bureau Award in Bangalore ceremony. Maldives also won the Indian Ocean’s Leading Destinations Award and Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination Award in the same ceremony. During this ceremony Maldives Tourism industry won awards in many categories.

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The First Tourists in Maldives

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Crafting Paradise: The Maldives’ Journey Through Time and Tourism

I. In the Beginning: Tourism in the Early 1970s

First tourist in Maldives with fish catch

During the early 1970s, the Maldives began its transformative journey in the tourism industry. This pivotal period, led by Mr. Corbin, marked the beginning of the country’s transformation into an internationally acclaimed tourist destination.

II. The Pioneering Expedition: A Historic Landing in 1971

George Corbin

Mr. Corbin led a group of Italian travelers to a historic landing on the Maldives’ pristine shores in October 1971. They set sail aboard the ‘Maldives Exporter,’ accompanied by Frenchesco Benini, a skilled photographer, and local guide Mr. Kerefa Ahmed Naseem, marking the birth of the Maldives’ tourism industry.

III. Unveiling Paradise: Mr. Corbin’s Incredible Encounter

Mr. Corbin was left with an indelible impression of the virtually unexplored paradise, which he described as “breathtaking.” This experience inspired a series of articles and the 1973 publication of “Duemila isole felici,” a literary and visual odyssey that highlighted the Maldives’ allure to the rest of the world.

IV. Kurumba’s Birth: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

kurumba - the maldives fist resort

Mr. Corbin’s promise to bring more visitors led to further developments when he returned home. He returned in February 1972 with the Maldives’ first tourists, mostly journalists and photographers. They found modest lodging in Malé, where they were cared for by M U Maniku and friends. They were captivated by the perfect blend of activities, laying the groundwork for Kurumba, the first Maldivian resort.

george corbin and maldives toursm pioneers
Left to right: Hussain Afeef, Ahmed Naseem, George Corbin and M U Maniku

V. Economic Impact and Evolution: From Resorts to GDP Contribution

As tourism grew, resorts and infrastructure flourished, transforming the Maldives into a world-famous luxury travel destination. Its trademarks were overwater bungalows, vibrant coral reefs, and crystal-clear turquoise waters. The tourism industry has become a cornerstone of the Maldives’ economic development, contributing significantly to its GDP.

VI. Timeless Allure: The Maldives Today

The Maldives is now synonymous with luxury travel, attracting honeymooners, scuba divers, and those looking for an idyllic tropical getaway. Mr. Corbin and his fellow pioneers’ journey not only defined Maldives history, but also sculpted it into an unparalleled global marvel, beckoning travelers with its timeless allure.

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Maldives Honeymoon Holidays

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There are some holidays in your life that you will really look forward to, and your Honeymoon will be one of them. After spending endless hours preparing for your big day and then finally getting married, you’ll be thinking of one thing only: getting some well deserved rest.

villa nautica sunset dinner

There is no better place than the Maldives for your Honeymoon.  With a wonderful tropical climate, chilled out island atmosphere, beautiful sandy beaches and crystal clear water, Maldives Honeymoon holidays offer everything you could ever want for a relaxed break.

A mid-range direct flight from many European airports means that you could be topping up your tan on a sun kissed Maldives beach in very little time.  Now with so many resorts to choose from, you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy your holidays in paradise.  If you are on a budget and can’t afford to splash some cash after your wedding you could choose to stay in somewhere like the Villa Nautica, or if you would like something more indulgent why not head to the wonderful Kuredu Island Resort where you can enjoy the best of what the Maldives has to offer.

Many of the resorts in the Maldives offer all inclusive packages where you get all your food, drinks and activities including scuba diving, snorkeling and excursions in one price. These may look more expensive and cost more initially, but they do save you money and are well worth it. 

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