FROM THE EDITOR 03 march NEXT UP... APRIL ISSUE


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Steve Hartridge EDITOR


the unknown with 85% of respondents either ‘strongly agreeing’ or ‘agreeing’ that they ‘prefer seeing new things when they travel’. The 2014 report from Kuoni firmly reinforces this message with


three contrasting destinations – Vietnam, Mexico and Cuba – all climbing higher in the operator’s top ten chart. The Maldives, however, once again retains its top spot. This edition of Selling


Long Haul strongly reflects the array of global options available to sell to clients with features on countries in all but one of the world’s seven continents. In Australasia we


INDUSTRY COMMENT “We will be working on a joint marketing initiative with Philippine Airlines and will focus on festivals. 2014 will see more road


shows and we will run workshops and offer training to operator partners. We are also developing online training for agents, with possible mega-fams.” Marie Venus Q. Tan, Regional Director, Philippines Department of Tourism – see Philippines, page 23


“Botswana is fi nally getting on the map as an exceptional safari destination, and we have many more enquiries from couples,


families and older and younger generations.” Dawn Parr, UK Representative at Botswana Tourism Organisation – see How to Sell Botswana, page 29


30 FEATURE maldives all inclusives maldives all inclusives FEATURE 31


PARADISE IN DEMAND


MALDIVES All-Inclusive


The pristine beaches and turquoise seas of this remote Indian Ocean archipelago


have long been a magnet for honeymooners, divers, and those simply in need of some simple R & R. Now the country’s new all- inclusive resorts are providing the perfect escape, says Lauren Jarvis


T


he Maldives Tourist Board had good cause to celebrate as last year came to a close: in 2013, the country had


exceeded its visitor ‘target’ by attracting over one million tourists to its paradise islands. Made up of 1,190 coral islands, 200 of which are inhabited, the Maldives’ atolls stretch 90,000 sq kms across the equator, yet its land mass counts for just one per cent of its total area. Unlike its Indian Ocean neighbours, the


Seychelles and Mauritius, the Maldives’ endless scatter of small-but-perfectly-formed islands has naturally led to the ‘one-island- one-resort’ concept, which lends itself perfectly to the all-inclusive holiday. And with little development outside of the


focus on Australia's Great Drives while across the Pacific there's an update on Argentina and Chile and, further north, ever-changing Las Vegas. There are fresh ideas for Caribbean weddings and honeymoons and all-inclusives in the Maldives. In Africa we review Botswana, The Gambia/Cape Verde and Zimbabwe while in Asia it's Philippines and Hong Kong & Macau. Together these destinations offer scores of great commission-earning opportunities. And look out too for our extensive cruise coverage including a special 16-page river cruising section and information on the brand new tradecruisecompare.com website which helps agents with everything they need to know about selling ocean cruises, including the all- important commission rates. Happy reading and happy selling!


country’s bustling capital, Malé, to provide a distraction, it’s the ideal destination to focus on kicking back, enjoying some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, or exploring the underwater wonders of the nation’s incredible coral reefs. Historically, all-inclusives were relatively basic in the Maldives, but the last few years have


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to the UK, but customers still keeping a close eye on spending, all-inclusive resorts could offer the perfect holiday solution. “The appeal of all-inclusive resorts is increasing, as not only are they good value for money, they also allow customers to know the total spend of their holiday in advance,” says Richard Tams, Head of UK & Ireland Sales & Marketing for British Airways.


offers incredible value for money. Customers can totally relax without having to worry about any hidden extras,” explains Louise Ashworth, Indian Ocean Product Manager at Destinology (destinology. co.uk), which is offering a seven-night Platinum Plus package at Kanifushi throughout May and June for


Above: a tropical paradise – overwater villas in Velaa Private Island


£2,389 pp, including fl ights and seaplane transfers. With new high-quality resorts, a wide choice of airlines, and some unique all-inclusive packages emerging, it seems there’s never been a better time to experience everything the Maldives has to offer.


What’s new Hotels: Exclusive to Kuoni, the new fi ve-star Kandolhu Island Resort (kandolhu.com) was due to


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snorkelled, yoga’d, pampered, talked and laughed our way through a week of bliss, cocooned in a technicoloured bubble, where every day took us further away from the real world. The perfect escape. The perfect treat.”


seen a surge of high-quality resorts to suit most budgets. And while the most popular time to visit is the dry season from December to April there are special deals to be found all-year round. Kuoni’s Commercial & Product Manager,


Sheena Paton, sees the Maldivian resorts’ broad appeal as one of the country’s key strengths. “The Maldives continues to be our most popular destination because it has an island to suit everyone: honeymooners looking for romance and privacy, singles looking to escape and rejuvenate and families wanting excellent children’s facilities and activities. It’s also very accessible from the UK, despite its location.” With economic optimism slowly returning


“The Maldives’ all-inclusives work well


because of the ‘one-island-one-resort’ concept. So, whilst there are a wide range of restaurants within the resort there are no outside outlets which may tempt them to spend.” One new resort looking to promote the appeal


of booking a holiday with no extra costs, is Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives (atmosphere-kanifushi. com), which opened in December last year. The fi ve-star resort is offering guests a Platinum Plus option, which not only includes à la carte dining and all beverages, but also extends to sports and excursions, down to smaller touches like Wi-Fi and suncream. “Kanifushi’s all-inclusive Platinum Plus plan


“Agents selling the Maldives need to ensure they know exactly what experience cus- tomers are looking for and not to be afraid of the higher priced all-inclusive holidays: very often they’re better


value with meals, drinks and activities included”


DAVE FRASER, PRODUCT MANAGER, COSMOS


IT WAS THE VINO BY LAUREN JARVIS “My first visit to the Maldives was the result of a very long lunch one gloomy January, where a persuasive friend – and even more persuasive bottle of wine – whispered in my ear and told me to book myself a treat. One spontaneous, and slightly slurry,


call to a bemused Kuoni agent, and the deal was done. A week in Paradise for me and my mum – sorted. A month later we were there, wandering barefoot on Kuramathi, giddy and dreamy and disbelieving that we’d finally made it to these distant isles, which had for so long symbolised everything that was exotic, remote and unspoilt. We were ready to be castaways. We swam, ate, hammocked,


welcome N


WE TRAVEL FURTHER TO BRING YOU MORE


ew research from travel search site Momondo suggests that for creative agents the world really is their oyster. The research demonstrates that Brits have a healthy appetite for


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