Travel & Culture

Maldives celebrates 50 years of tourism, a sector undermined in the past

Published

2 years ago

04/10/2022

MNN

Fifty years ago, an Italian travel enthusiast, George Corbin visited the Maldives after crossing many hurdles. Some believed the little nation in the Indian Ocean was not worth visiting and though his colleagues and friends advised against it, Corbin took a chance. Today, the Maldives is marking the golden jubilee of an industry people believed would not have flourished all those years ago.

Not knowing how to travel to the Maldives, Corbin visited the closest embassy, the Maldives Embassy in Sri Lanka, where he was introduced to the then junior employee at the embassy, the current Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem. Since there were no air connections, Naseem and Corbin travelled to the Maldives on a cargo ship.

The arrival of Corbin marked the beginning of tourism in the Maldives. Reminiscing on the beginnings of tourism, a key pioneer of tourism in the Maldives, Mohamed Umar Manik said that meeting Corbin made him realise that the Maldives is a place where tourism can be developed. At that time, Corbin was seeking uninhabited islands where he could bring Italians to swim and fish. He said the enthusiasm and faith of Corbin gave encouragement to himself, Naseem, and Hussain Afeef.

Manik recalled not having any services such as banks, airports, or telephones back in the day, adding that only hand radios or Morse code were used to contact Colombo, Sri Lanka. He said many people did not believe that tourism could be expanded in the Maldives due to the natural formation and the lack of development of resources. Even experts from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that tourism would never succeed because there were no facilities and no infrastructure, he added.

Meanwhile, Cobin returned home and the first group of tourists arrived on February 16, 1972, under the leadership of Umar Manik, Afeef and Naseem. The group of tourists arrived from Milan, Italy chartering a flight from Air Ceylon. A total of 22 tourists arrived on the maiden trip. They came and stayed at Maagiri, Lux Hood and Kaneeru Villa. They stayed in the Maldives for 12 days.

When the first group of tourists arrived in the Maldives, Naseem was abroad on a government trip. However, Naseem described the situation in which they had to serve tourists. He said that Afeef with others ran from one house to the other serving the tourists, taking cutlery from one house to the other when one team is finished, adding the courage they showed back in the day is an incomparable example.

The first group of tourists included some Italian journalists. They went back home and wrote about their experiences in the newspapers which is how most people came to know of the Maldives. After the trip, discussions to develop a resort in the Maldives commenced.

Speaking on a programme aired on PSM News, Mohamed Moosa said many challenges were faced by the industry over the years. He said he used to supply vegetables and other products to the resorts for Afeef.

When the first group of tourists arrived in the Maldives, Afeef said there were no modern facilities. However, they loved the experience which ensured the trust of foreign investors in the Maldives. The first resort in the country opened on October 3, 1972, in Vihamanaafushi, as Kurumba Village or Kurumba Maldives as it is known now. Kurumba Maldives is a 30-room resort with a bed capacity of 60.

Today, 50 years later, the Maldives has 170 resorts, 866 hotels and guesthouses, and 154 liveaboards registered in the Maldives which brings the total bed capacity to 59,601. Today, the Maldives is known to everyone and tourism has flourished with the passion, determination and hard work of its young and energetic Maldivian founders. Just as Corbin fell in love with the palm trees, turquoise sea and white sandy beaches, the Maldives has made it to the bucket list of everyone

Corbin said the Maldives are world known and among the best destinations, getting visitors of different nationalities and regions, thus being a very safe haven.

Source: psmnews

Travel & Culture

Maldives sweeps WTAs with four titles in Indian Ocean category

Published

2 days ago

06/05/2024

Maldives has won four prestigious titles at the World Travel Awards (WTA) – Indian Ocean category, including the award for the region’s leading destination.

The WTA Indian Ocean awards were presented on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) at Dubai World Trade Center on Monday.

The Maldives won:

Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination 2024

The award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination was accepted by Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal, whole the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination was accepted by Ayesha Nurain Janah, Chairperson of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC).

Meanwhile, the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination was accepted by MMPRC’s Managing Director Fathmath Thaufeeq, and the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination was accepted by Mohamed Khaleel, an advisor to the Maldivian president on tourism development.

In a statement announcing the achievement, MMPRC said the significance of the awards highlights the Maldives’ standing as an unparalleled tourist destination, showcases the country’s commitment to delivering unforgettable experiences to visitors from around the world, and reinforces the continued efforts of MMPRC in promoting and developing the nation’s tourism sector.

Maldives has dominated the WTA Indian Ocean awards since the category was introduced in 2003, winning the Leading Destination title 17 times, the Leading Honeymoon Destination title six times, and the Leading Dive Destination title nine times.

But this marks the first year the Maldives has been recognized as a Green Destination, highlighting the country’s commitment to sustainable tourism.

“Winning these awards will indeed enhance the image of the destination as a high-profile luxury destination among visitors. These awards indicate visitors’ love and confidence towards the Maldives, a huge step towards World’s Leading Destination!” reads the MMPRC’s statement.

Established in 1993, the WTA are widely regarded as one of the most respected and popular awards in the world of travel and tourism. Symbolizing the most outstanding endorsement in tourism, and the travel industry, the awards aim to recognize and reward achievements in all aspects of travel and tourism on a global scale.

Maldives was crowned the World’s Leading Destination for the fourth year running at the 2023 World Travel Awards.

The Indian Ocean destination recorded 1.8 million arrivals last year, and is eying a record 2 million visitors this year.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

MMPRC promotes Maldives at KITF

Published

2 weeks ago

26/04/2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has begun promoting the Maldives in the Kazakistan International Travel Fair (KITF). A total of 17 companies within the Maldivian tourism industry have participated in the fair along with MMPRC.

KITF is a significant, well-renowned fair hosted in Central Asia since 2001. The fair serves as a crucial platform to expand tourism industries across the world, enhancing more opportunities within the field. This year, the fair is scheduled to be held from April 24 to 26.

MMPRC revealed that the expo intends to establish and bolster ties with Kazakistan and agents in the central region of Asia, while displaying various merchandise from representing the Maldives in a global manner. It further affirmed that maximum efforts will be exerted to provide tourists with the latest information and to showcase the destinations and previous experiences, aiming to attract more tourist arrivals. Additionally, it stated that opportunities are available to establish collaborative partnership ties.

The stand of the Maldives placed in the KITF represents the true sunny side of life. Emphasising the significance of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the MMPRC assured that it is actively involved in promoting and advertising the Maldives to the CIS region through various activities and events. It further stated the significance of using social media as a tool to advertise the Maldives and attract more viewers.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes over 700,000 tourists

Published

2 weeks 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