maldives 37
BEST OF
Over-water suites, underwater restaurants and world-class spas – the Maldives is the Indian Ocean leader when it comes to luxurious getaways, says Amanda Statham
T
he Maldives, an archipelago of more than 1000 islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, regularly tops lists of the most
desirable places on earth to holiday. A recent Small Luxury Hotels of the World survey
of 13,000 customers revealed the Maldives as number one holiday destination for Brits. And a honeymoon survey conducted by Kuoni
this year also saw the Maldives take top spot. So what’s the huge allure? Many of the resorts are set on exclusive private islands, the white
unspoilt beaches really do live up to the hype and the standard of accommodation ranks with the best in the world; over-water villas and infi nity pools are considered the norm rather than something exceptional.
With more than one million arrivals in 2013 (an increase of 17.4% year-on-year) and bed capacity of 25,000, tourism is booming. And this year there’s already been an 11.8% growth compared to the same period (January to July) in 2013. So who’s visiting? Last year’s Maldives’ Visitor
Survey by the Ministry of Tourism revealed 23% of respondents were honeymooners. It’s big business, with plenty of packages and romantic activities (like rose-petal fi lled bath tubs with glasses of bubbly) to keep couples happy. James Bell, Marketing Director at Turquoise Holidays, confi rms the trend: “The Maldives remains our top honeymoon destination. Over 1,000 couples will honeymoon there with us in 2014 – bearing in mind we are a boutique honeymoon operator with destinations all over
sellingtravel.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96