8 NEWS The Sunny Side of Life The Maldives named as partner country of ITBBerlin 2016 David Ruets, Head of ITBBerlin (left) and Abdulla Ziyath, Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing & PR Cooperation (MMPRC) Maldives’ stand at ITBBerlin 2015 The Maldives has been announced as the next partner country of ITBBerlin. The contracts were signed at the show by Abdulla Ziyath, Managing Director of the Maldives Marketing & PR Cooperation (MMPRC), and David Ruetz, Head of ITBBerlin. The longstanding relationship of the Maldives with ITBBerlin dates back to 1984, and this new cooperation is accompanied by high expectations: “During the one year marketing partnership we want to attract 1.9 million visitors to the Maldives, which represents an increase of some 8 per cent”, said Mohamed Khaleel, Chairman of the MMPRC. The aim is to attract these new tourists predominantly from the mid-market segment in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The country is still preparing for this increase. The “Thumburi” resort development project, with between 20 and 30 hotels with bed capacities ranging from 25 to 100 is intended to provide additional capacity for mid-range tourism, as well as 4,000 new jobs. Eventually, from 2017 onwards, there will be accommodation for 200,000 additional visitors. His Excellency Mr Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor, Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Republic of Maldives, announced at ITBBerlin this year that a ‘Visit Maldives Year 2016’ campaign had been launched - organized in conjunction with the golden jubilee marking of the 50th anniversary of Maldives Independence. “By way of ‘Visit Maldives Year’ programme, we hope to market the Maldives to the world,” he underlined. OVER A THOUSAND ISLANDS TO CHOOSE FROM… The Maldives is an archipelago of 1,200 small coral islands that offer spectacular beaches and snorkelling and diving. The Maldives is largely about beach, sun, water sports, restaurants, and relaxation. Each resort in the Maldives is on its own island, which showcases the world’s best over-water villas, innovative resort features, and first-class spa facilities. Resorts have been creative in building unique facilities such as underwater restaurants and spa treatment rooms, underground wine cellars, over water villas with pools, treetop dining venues, observatories and more. Some of the nicest and unique resorts in the world are in the Maldives. NEW AIR LINK WILL BOOST TOURISM NUMBERS The introduction of a new, direct link from Frankfurt is expected to give a further boost to tourism: “Currently, when flying to our country, 90 per cent of our guests have to make a stop-over in the Middle East”, commented Hussain Afeef of the Maldives Association of the Tourism Industry. Lufthansa has now included Malé in its network and from December 2015 will be bringing vacationers to the island paradise in comfort twice weekly. The experienced tourism professional Afeef is confident that this will improve the situation significantly. Meanwhile, Thumburi Integrated Resorts development project launched in 2014 is progressing at fast pace with high interest from investors. Out of 20 land plots allocated for hotel developments, 16 have already been sold for interested investors. In addition to the 20 plots for hotels, development of three water villa plots are also currently on bid for interested investors. Consequently the ideal conditions are being provided for expansion, augmented by a large local workforce with the necessary tourismrelated skills. It is now only necessary to ensure BY WAY OF ‘VISIT MALDIVES YEAR’ PROGRAMME, WE HOPE TO MARKET THE MALDIVES TO THE WORLD political stability. “There have recently been some negative reports about protests in Malé”, commented Khaleel. “We are a growing nation, and everyone here knows how important tourism is for us. The problems must be resolved, and we shall do all we can to maintain security and to ensure that this sector, the backbone of our economy, is not put at risk in any way.” ITB BERLIN NEWS • Tuesday 17 th March 2015 www.itb-berlin-news.com
