Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) has participated in Travmedia’s International Media Marketplace (IMM) – Australia to market the Maldives as a destination. The Maldives is being represented at the fair on behalf of MMPRC by the PR agency designated for the Australian market, which took place on the 17th and 18th of February, 2022. Travmedia’s International Media Marketplace (IMM) is the leading global networking event, connecting the travel industry with top journalists, editors, influencers and broadcasters. This is the 10th edition of the annual event, which is unrivalled for relationship building and networking opportunities.

The main purpose of participating in this event is to promote the Maldives as a safe haven for travellers and to update the Australian travel trade with the latest information and travel guidelines from the destination. Through the event, MMPRC showcased the geographical advantages of the scattered islands of Maldives, allowing natural social distancing making Maldives one of the safest destinations for tourists. Our products, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses/homestays and liveaboards, were also marketed through this event.

The participation in IMM is in line with MMPRC’s strategy to maintain the destination presence in this market and to efficiently promote various segments of tourism to travel trade professionals. This strategy aims to assist the destination to increase future bookings and arrival figures from Australia and New Zealand. Before the pandemic, the Australian market was performing very well with positive growth each year. In 2019, the Australian market was in the top ten in terms of arrivals, with 39,928 tourists coming into the Maldives. Since the pandemic, Australia ceased outbound and inbound travels for the most part of the past two years. The market just reopened for outbound travels in January 2022, and numbers are predicted to gradually increase this year, considering pre-pandemic figures.

The Maldives has held several activities, such as webinars, social and digital media campaigns targeting the Australian travel trade as part of the effort to maintain destination momentum and increase arrivals from the market. Many similar activities are planned ahead for this market for 2022 as well.

The Maldives has been awarded the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.

This year also celebrates an exceptional year to visit the Maldives – the Golden Jubilee celebration of tourism in the Maldives kicked off earlier last year with plans to conduct new and exciting activities throughout the year.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced that it will manage a new resort on a private island in the Maldives that is scheduled to open in 2025 being developed by DAMAC Properties, part of Dubai-based DAMAC Group, one of the world’s foremost luxury real estate developers.

The resort is currently under development on a pristine Indian Ocean site and will stretch across three private islands on Bolidhuffaru Reef in South Male Atoll, accessed by an easy 20-minute speedboat ride from Male’s Velana international airport. Surrounded by white sand beaches and the vibrant coral reefs for which The Maldives is renowned, the resort will provide a picturesque backdrop from which to enjoy a variety of activities including wellness experiences and watersports.

The accommodation comprises 120 stand-alone villas, made up of 56 overwater villas and 64 beachfront villas, including 10 branded Residences at Mandarin Oriental. Ranging in size from 200 to 1,000 square metres, the villas will be some of the largest in the market, each providing exclusivity and seclusion, with private pools and sweeping ocean views. The Group is working with a number of international consultants to ensure sustainability best practices are followed in all stages of the development.

Six dining outlets, including three speciality restaurants and a sunset bar, will ensure that guests have a varied choice of venues during their stay. In addition, creative indoor and outdoor event space will provide unique locations for meetings, social gatherings and weddings.

Spacious wellness facilities will be located in the resort’s tropical gardens and will include 12 treatment suites, vitality pools, sauna and steam rooms as well as a beauty salon. Mandarin Oriental’s expert team of wellness practitioners will offer tailored experiences and the Group’s signature treatments.

Additional leisure activities will include a watersports and dive centre, tennis courts, a kids and teens club, a swimming pool and numerous private coves and beaches to explore.

“Mandarin Oriental is focused on developing its resort portfolio and has been looking to enter The Maldives for some time. This project represents the right opportunity for the Group” said James Riley, Chief Executive of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

“The DAMAC brand is synonymous with luxury products and service, and so we felt The Maldives was a perfect fit for us. DAMAC has extended its global footprint outside of the Middle East, from the UK to Canada, and we are thrilled to have reached the Maldives as well. We look forward to working with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to manage our new resort on this beautiful island.” Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of DAMAC Group said.

Radisson Blu Resort Maldives together with the on-site Dive and Watersport Center, Ocean Group Maldives, has built the resort’s first coral nursery as a form of active reef restoration aimed at conserving coral ecosystem around the resort.

Located in the middle of the resort, just between the main restaurant and Crusoe’s Island, the guests can easily see the newly-built rope nurseries when they swim or snorkel around the area.

The resort’s Marine Biologist, Jessica Miller, says “We started the coral restoration project in order to help recover some of the surrounding reef, utilizing corals that are more resilient to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, to increase the chances of survival of our reefs.” In the future, guests will be welcomed to adopt a coral line of their own and they will be receiving updates along the journey until we bring it back onto the reef.

“As a Marine Biologist, my job is to educate guests, study marine life, and help conserve the amazing marine ecosystem that the Maldives holds. I am starting from scratch in implementing various marine education and conservation projects.” Jess added. She has a weekly presentation where she touches on some of the spectacular marine biodiversity that we can find in the Maldives. All the guests are invited to join this presentation accompanied with complimentary cocktails and canapés.

This joint effort is one big step among many activities which will be developed to involve the guests in cherishing and preserving the rich marine life of the Maldives. The resort will continue these efforts with the upcoming creation of a handbook and information plaques about the various type of fish and other marine animals which can be found the around the resort.

Source: MMPRC