34 FEATURE
maldives all-inclusives
open in February. A seven-night all-inclusive stay
in May costs from £1,799pp in a Jacuzzi beach villa. Maalifushi By Como (
comohotels.com), opening
on April 1 2014, will be the fi rst luxury resort in the southwest’s Thaa Atoll. The resort is offering seven nights for the price of fi ve from May 1 to December 25 2014. Velaa Private Island (velaaprivateisland.
com) is an exclusive private island resort with beach and water villas. Opened in late 2013, rates start at £915 per villa. Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives
“The Maldives is the ultimate luxury escape, popular with couples, honeymooners and families. All-inclusive resorts are a good value-for-money option, which cater to guests’ needs, and offer a fantastic selection of dining options, all under one roof”
RICHARD TAMS, HEAD OF UK & IRELAND SALES & MARKETING, BRITISH AIRWAYS
(
shangri-la.com/male/villingiliresort) has unveiled the new M-Lounge. The bar offers a smooth transition from day to night, providing daytime refreshments served to your sun lounger, sun downers to your beanbags and the islands’ only upscale live DJ spot by night, with resident DJ Kate from the trendiest lounges of Singapore and Bali spinning tunes six nights a week, plus renowned DJ guests. Operators: After a destination review, Thomson and First Choice (
thomson.co.uk / fi
rstchoice.co.uk) have confi rmed that from May 2014, they will no longer offer holidays to the Maldives due to lack of customer demand. Thomson and First Choice say they will instead be operating to Mauritius. Airlines: Passengers fl ying to the Maldives via
Dubai from London Gatwick will be able to enjoy the luxury features of the double-decker Emirates A380 from March 30 2014 (
emirates.com).
Tourism talk “The Maldives had an exciting 2013 with regards to tourism. In February, we broke a record by having over 100,000 visitors to the islands. By the end of the year, we had welcomed 1.2 million to the country, and we’re expecting this positive trend to continue throughout 2014. “We’ll be promoting the islands at travel fairs worldwide this year, including WTM in London. “Last year saw the opening of several beautiful new resorts and there are some fantastic packages on offer, especially for weddings and honeymoons. “Our all-inclusive resorts consistently deliver a high level of customer satisfaction. Our 2013 Visitor Survey
Above: the Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives with, below, the Jumeirah Dhevanafushi Talise Spa
OPINION EXPERT’S
DIANE COURT Head of Trade Sales, Destinology
Why the big increase in all-inclusive in the Maldives?
As GST continues to increase, infl ating the cost of importing food and beverages into the Maldives, clients are becoming more conscious of the expense whilst they are in resort. Due to the remoteness there is no opportunity for guests to visit local restaurants. This means that they are reliant on the resorts for dining options which can be a concern given the rising costs of F&B whilst in resort.
Briefly explain the different grades of all-inclusive
Basic levels include one main buffet-style restaurant that offers drinks only during meal times while Platinum or Gold-type packages include all dining outlets, drinks throughout the day and some even include an excursion or spa treatment during a seven-night stay.
What are the main selling tips for the islands?
At Atmosphere Kanifushi, all the villas have been built on the sunset side of the island giving all guests the benefi t of the sunset view. The resort also boasts some of the largest sunset family villas and the fi rst full sized 50m swimming pool in the Maldives. The Platinum plan all-inclusive even includes in-villa mini bar and complimentary wifi in all villas and suites.
Sample Package Seven nights (for the price of fi ve) in the Atmosphere Kanifushi – Sunset Beach Villa on a Platinum all-inclusive basis with seaplane transfer included between May 1-June 20 is from £2860 pp. Emirates fl ights are via Dubai from GLA/MAN/NCL/BHX/LGW/LHR. 01204 474184
destinologyagents.co.uk
www.sellinglonghaul.com
the
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