Travel & Culture

GO W-EGAN AT W MALDIVES WITH CELEBRITY CHEF PRIYANKA NAIK

Published

2 years ago

04/09/2022

MNN

Whether you’re looking to follow your dietary discipline, or experience what sustainable dining entails even while you’re in the middle of the ocean – look no further! W Maldives is elevating its culinary offerings by welcoming celebrity vegan chef & sustainable cuisine champion, Chef Priyanka Naik, to create and launch a pop-up menu that would be available exclusively at the resort until October 2023. Guests staying at the resort over October 20, 2022 will also have the opportunity to be a part of a sustainable cooking class hosted by Chef Priyanka, or book a spot at the showcase dinner where the pop menu will be launched at one of the signature dining venues at the luxurious playground of W Maldives.

As part of this collaboration, Chef Priyanka and W Maldives present a once-in-a-lifetime Marriott Bonvoy Moments experience for members, inclusive of a stay at W Maldives for four nights. The unique experience will feature a boat trip to a farm on a local island to select fresh ingredients and a Maldivian cultural walk, followed by lunch at KADA, the resort’s uniquely designed Maldivian dining venue. Guests will then be swept away on a cruise aboard the luxury yacht, ESCAPE, followed by a private vegan picnic hosted by Chef Priyanka on the castaway island, Gaathafushi, while embracing the evening ocean views. The unique Moments experience is live on Marriott Bonvoy Moments website for bidding until October 3, 2022 that two couples can stand a chance to be part of.

Speaking on this one-of-a-kind collaboration the General Manager at W Maldives, Idu Ribeiro said, “At W Hotels Worldwide we are always looking to elevate our Beverage & Food offerings with a difference and with a growing focus on sustainability. This bold collaboration with Chef Priyanka is a great way to bring it to life at W Maldives. The world is becoming more conscious in their choices, beverage and food included, and together with Chef Priyanka’s creativity and the uniqueness of Maldives’ resources and ingredients we are looking forward to present some delicious vegan and sustainable options for our guests to indulge in while they hit escape at W Maldives. We are excited to work with Chef Priyanka, and also look forward to our loyal Marriott Bonvoy members joining us for a unique Moments experience in paradise!”

Chef Priyanka Naik is a self-taught Indian American vegan chef, raised in New York. She is an avid traveler who’s been to nearly forty countries, and her globally inspired original recipes, with a focus on sustainability, have been featured on her blog Chef Priyanka and are incorporated into her regular speaking appearances across various shows and events. “Maldives has been my bucket-list destination to visit for a long time now, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have it materialize in such a wonderful and delicious way! I am passionate about making sustainable and vegan cooking accessible to all and am grateful for this opportunity to showcase this with the beauty and culture of a destination like W Maldives. Come hungry!” said Chef Priyanka.

Located 25 minutes by seaplane from Male’, W Maldives is a private island playground for those seeking exclusivity and appreciation of a luxury lifestyle brand. The island features 77 private escapes and suites, 27 on the beach and 50 overwater. The resort boasts an overwater specialty restaurant FISH®; all-day dining venue KITCHEN®; BBQ restaurant on the beach FIRE®; sunset and pool bar SIP®; WET® pool bar and deck, and Maldivian pop-up café KADA.

The curated vegan menu by celebrity Chef Priyanka will be available at the resort for a period of one year and guests visiting W Maldives from October 20, 2022 onwards would be able to experience this as an additional culinary offering over and above the dining concepts of the resort.

To know more about the Moments experience with Chef Priyanka at W Maldives visit Marriott Bonvoy Moments. To reserve your stay at W Maldives visit wmaldives.com and for more information on Chef Priyanka Naik visit her website http://chefpriyanka.com

Source: Visit Maldives

Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes over 700,000 tourists

Published

21 hours ago

24/04/2024

Ministry of Tourism has revealed more than 700,000 tourists have visited the country so far.

The latest statistics published by the tourism ministry show that a total of 728,950 tourist arrivals visited the Maldives between January 1 and April 21, which is an increase of 13.1% compared to the 644,721 arrivals during the same period last year. The statistics show that a total of 192,385 tourists visited the Maldives in January, 217,392 arrivals in February, 194,227 in March and 124,946 arrivals till April 21.

The latest updated report reveals that Chinese tourists constitute the largest portion of total tourist arrivals so far this year, with 77،709 visitors. Following China, the United Kingdom, and Russia along with Italy and Germany, stand out as the next highest sources of tourists, with 72,635 and 72,336, 66,170 and 57,321 arrivals, respectively. Currently, Maldives receives an average of 6451 tourists every day, which spend an average of 7.9 days in the country.

Aiming to expand the tourism industry, the bed capacity has been increased with a total of 62,232 beds. This includes resorts, guest houses, hotels and safaris as well.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldivian’s Male’-Colombo route launches on Thursday

Published

3 days ago

22/04/2024

Maldivian, the flag carrier of the Maldives, is set to launch flights to the Bandaranaike International Airport in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on Thursday.

The starting fare is USD 165, including a baggage allowance of 30 kilos and an attractive meal package.

According to Maldivian, it will operate two weekly flights on the Male’-Colombo route; on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The flight schedule is perfect for weekend getaways, allowing passengers to depart after work on Thursday and return on Saturday, maximizing their time in Sri Lanka without complicated itineraries.

The airline is offering exclusive benefits to customers from the Nawaloka Hospital. This includes:

Medical consultation and medical history evaluation (with a medical doctor)
Body mass index test and vision test
Dental check-ups
Consultation with clinical dietician
15% discount for laboratory tests (OPD basis)
5% discount for x-ray
Special discounted health screening packages

Unlike most budget carriers that focus on keeping fares low, Maldivian Airline goes the extra mile to enhance the travel experience, providing a complimentary meal on board, ensuring that passengers arrive in Colombo feeling satisfied and ready to explore.

The airline also offers an attractive offer of flying with a 30-kg baggage allowance for even the lowest fare of USD 165, eliminating the need to pay extra fees or travel light, ensuring travelers can pack everything they need for their trip within the limit, and avoid surprise baggage charges commonly imposed by budget airlines.

Th airline also offers elderly care and a seamless travel experience with multilingual staff, including Dhivehi and English speakers, ensuring clear communication and assistance for passengers of all levels of experience, making the journey comfortable and stress-free.

According to Maldivian, the new route to Colombo represents an exciting milestone for both Maldivian and the travelers seeking seamless connectivity between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The airline said the strategic expansion further solidifies Maldivian’s commitment to connecting the Maldives with key international destinations, enhancing travel options for passengers, and promoting cultural and economic exchanges.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

Maldives Showcased at Asia’s Biggest Dive Expo

Published

1 week ago

16/04/2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Cooperation (MMPRC) has promoted Maldives at Asia’s largest dive expo, Adex Ocean Mission 2024.

Notably, Adex Ocean Mission is a global platform where investors, scientists, marine conservationists and as well as underwater photographs can join together. Simultaneously, dive operators along with dive equipment manufacturers took part in the expo. It has been 26 years since the expo first commenced.

Remarkably, MMPRC has actively engaged in promoting Maldives as a leading tourism destination, following exposure globally. The very expo was carried out from April 12 to 14 at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Providing insight on the expo, MMPRC affirmed that persistent efforts have been made to provide updated information regarding the Maldives to those interested in diving related activities. Moreover, initiatives have been taken to create awareness about the Maldives as a central hub prioritising diving and as well as marine conservation.

One of the primary incentives of partaking in such expos is to attract tourists from the South Asian region. While the tourist arrival from the South-East Asian region amounted 58,947, the number of tourists who visited from January and February totals to 7,481.

Additionally, efforts are currently underway to initiate joint marketing campaigns and outdoor promotional campaigns following active engagements with several stakeholders targeted towards tourists arrivals from the South-East Asian market.

Source(s): PsmNews