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Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru hosts historic ministerial meetings prior to CoP17 Global Summit or Sharks and Rays

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Maldives.net.mv – The government of the Maldives is hosting a historic meeting of senior international officials at Four SeasonsResort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru on August 23, 2016 – 30 days before the world gathers in Johannesburg, South Africa, to vote on proposals to list silky sharks, thresher sharks and mobula rays at the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP17) of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Ministers and senior officials from the Maldives will welcome their counterparts from Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Fiji, India, Mauritania, Senegal and Sri Lanka to the Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve to discuss the crisis facing these species. Some of the attendees hail from nations with large fisheries while others with ecotourism contributing a large part to their GDP; yet no matter their background, they are gathering to reiterate that shark conservation is a priority issue worldwide.

Media are invited to join a tele-conference call from 11.30am – 12:30pm MVT (Malé time) on August 23, 2016.

Available for tele-conference interviews are:

  • Honourable Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Maldives
  • Chandrasiri Bandara, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Wildlife and Sustainable Development, Sri Lanka
  • Honourable Associate Minister Lorna Eden, Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Environment, Fiji
  • Luke Warwick, Director of The Pew Charitable Trusts, Global Shark Conservation Campaign, USA

Achmat Hassiem, a South African Paralympic medalist who lost his leg to a great white shark, and Virgin Founder Richard Branson are also slated to open the meeting via video messages. Over the past year, both have been outspoken about the need for further CITES protection for vulnerable shark species, and continue to voice their support. These video messages will be available for viewing by media.

About The Event

The Global Summit on Sharks and Rays at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru will be the first time these leaders have gathered outside of their region to focus on a pan-global discussion to ensure sharks and rays are a priority at this year’s CITES CoP.

These three proposals are already groundbreaking. Four years ago, it was thought to be near impossible to obtain global protection for commercially traded shark species under CITES. And now, never before in the history of CITES have any proposals garnered as much co-sponsor support – with 50 countries signed as co-proponents of at least one of the three proposals.

The arguments for support are significant. Despite each species suffering declines of up to 70 percent in all their known habitats, current fishery management measures have failed to adequately protect them.  Globally, more than 100 million sharks continue to be killed annually, largely unregulated.

An Appendix II CITES listing will help ensure that the trade of thresher sharks, silky sharks and mobula rays is capped at sustainable levels – almost 10 percent of the global shark fin trade – so they may survive to benefit generations to come.

In the past month alone, African, Pacific and Latin American countries have met regionally to coordinate their support for these listings. This global summit will create a single voice that accurately harnesses the worldwide momentum and support for effective and enforceable shark protection worldwide.

For more information, visit www.pewtrusts.org/CITES2016

Awards

Multiple SATA nominations for Lily Beach Resort & Spa and Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa

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Two renowned Maldivian resorts, Lily Beach Resort & Spa and Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, have been nominated across multiple categories at the 2025 South Asian Travel Awards (SATA), a prestigious recognition of excellence in hospitality and tourism across the region.

Lily Beach Resort & Spa has secured nominations in the following categories:

  • Leading All-Inclusive Resort
  • Leading Family Resort
  • Leading F&B Resort

These nominations highlight the resort’s sustained commitment to delivering high-quality hospitality, dining, and family-oriented experiences. As a trailblazer in all-inclusive luxury in the Maldives, Lily Beach offers a refined guest experience through its award-winning Platinum Plan, which includes à la carte dining, curated excursions, wellness services, and an extensive selection of premium wines—crafted to suit the needs of today’s discerning traveller.

Guests at Lily Beach can enjoy a variety of dining options across venues such as Tamarind, Lily Maa, Vibes, AQVA, Teppanyaki, and Les Turquoise d’Aqua. The resort’s wine list has been recognised with a Wine Spectator Award. This August, Lily Beach will host Michelin-starred Chef Igles Corelli for an exclusive ‘Flavour’ dining experience.

A preferred destination for families, the resort features a lively Kids’ Club, the Vibes Family Pool, and year-round entertainment suitable for all ages. A range of activities is available, including tennis, water sports, nightly shows, and treatments at the Tamara Spa. Located adjacent to the South Ari Marine Protected Area, the resort also offers extraordinary opportunities to swim with whale sharks and manta rays, as well as explore a vibrant 360° house reef.

The nominations reflect Lily Beach’s enduring focus on culinary distinction, family-friendly amenities, and meaningful island experiences.

Voting for Lily Beach Resort & Spa is open until 15th July 2025.

Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, located in the remote and unspoilt Haa Alifu Atoll, has also earned nominations in three categories at SATA 2025:

  • Leading Beach Resort
  • Leading Wellness & Spa Hotel/Resort
  • Most Romantic Resort

Well known for its generous villa sizes and natural surroundings, the resort offers a private and tranquil setting ideal for couples, honeymooners, and families seeking relaxation away from busier destinations. Villas are set among dense tropical greenery and some of the Maldives’ most pristine beaches.

Guests can explore a diverse culinary offering across five restaurants, featuring beachfront fine dining and overwater options. With a focus on fresh seafood and international cuisine, each meal is enhanced by the island’s calm atmosphere and attentive service.

Hideaway is also one of the few natural islands in the Maldives with a double house reef, giving guests direct access to rich marine life from the shore. For those who enjoy staying active, the resort’s Recreation Centre includes tennis courts, a golf simulator, padel, pickleball, a putting green, indoor badminton, beach sports, a waterpark, and a gym.

The Hideaway Spa provides treatments based on Balinese and Ayurvedic traditions, delivered in a serene garden setting. Romantic beachfront dinners and private villa experiences further contribute to the resort’s reputation as a leading destination for couples.

With a focus on space, privacy, and personalised service, Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa offers an experience rooted in the natural beauty of the Maldives, catering to both leisure and wellness seekers.

These nominations collectively reflect the commitment of both resorts to delivering exceptional hospitality, distinctive dining, and memorable stays in the Maldives.

Voting for Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa is open until 15th July 2025.

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Villa Park named leading family resort in Maldives by Travel + Leisure

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Villa Park has been recognised as one of the Maldives’ top family resorts at the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2025, reaffirming its reputation as a premier destination for families seeking meaningful island escapes. Located in the South Ari Atoll, the resort blends barefoot luxury with a range of immersive experiences tailored for guests of all ages.

The resort offers activities that span from encounters with whale sharks and manta rays to moments of relaxation on the island’s powder-soft beaches. Among its family-oriented facilities is Park Players, one of the Maldives’ largest kids clubs, designed to provide a creative, nature-based environment where children can play, learn, and explore. Meanwhile, parents can unwind at Araamu Spa or dine on sustainable, plant-based cuisine at Zero Restaurant.

Villa Park also features the widest selection of beach pool villas in the country, offering spacious and comfortable accommodations suited to multi-generational travellers. Sustainability is integrated across the guest experience, with initiatives such as solar-powered operations and farm-to-table dining underscoring the resort’s commitment to responsible hospitality.

This accolade from Travel + Leisure highlights Villa Park’s continued efforts to deliver high-quality, family-friendly holidays where nature, comfort, and lasting memories converge in one of the world’s most iconic island destinations.

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SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS appoints Edyta Peszko as Commercial Director

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As the Maldives braces for yet another wave of luxury openings, one brand is choosing to go against the wave. SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS — a new collection of luxury resort concepts is not selling a dream. It’s building a new reality: one that is bold and unapologetically different. As it prepares to launch its first property, RAH GILI MALDIVES, in December 2025, the brand has announced the appointment of Edyta as its Commercial Director, a move that underlines its intent to redefine how luxury is marketed and sustained in one of the world’s most sought-after destinations.

The Maldives is no longer just competing on beauty; it’s competing on meaning. The question for today’s luxury brands is no longer how to impress, but how to connect. Enter SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS, poised to redefine luxury in the Indian Ocean through design-led storytelling, freedom, and emotional relevance. The brand’s vision is quietly radical: six private islands, each with its own distinct character, audience, and rhythm — united not by likeness, but by a shared philosophy that prioritises substance over display.

At the heart of this approach is the strategic appointment of Edyta as Commercial Director — a role that extends far beyond revenue and distribution. With over two decades of experience in luxury travel and commercial leadership across Asia, The Indian Ocean, and Europe, Edyta brings a perspective that is both visionary and innovative. Shaping the entire commercial journey of the brand — from pricing and partnerships to narrative positioning and experiential curation.

This isn’t about filling a position. It’s a considered move towards building a different kind of luxury organisation, one where commercial leadership is embedded in brand strategy, and where success is measured not only by occupancy, but by lasting impact and guest connection.

“We’re not here to make louder claims or flashier visuals. Our approach is different—thoughtful, considered, and grounded. It’s about truly understanding the guest on an emotional level, not just seeing them as a transaction,” Edyta says.

Her approach is built on the belief that modern luxury travellers no longer buy into the hyper-curated ideal. They’re seeking individuality, narrative truth, and offerings that feel emotionally aligned to how they live. As Edyta puts it, “This isn’t about exclusivity for the sake of status. It’s about precision; curating spaces and experiences that feel deeply specific and meaningful to the right guest.”

This approach becomes relevant as SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS prepares to launch its first resort, RAH GILI MALDIVES, in December 2025. Set to be followed by DHON MAAGA MALDIVES in 2026, the two properties offer a glimpse into the brand’s broader ambition: to create a collection of distinct island experiences, each offering a different lens through which to experience the Maldives.

And this, Edyta highlights, is where the opportunity lies.

“Commercial strategy in the Maldives has traditionally been product-first,” she says. “Resorts are built to be sold. But what if we flipped that? What if we created products shaped around the emotional experiences people truly seek? That’s the opportunity we’re stepping into, an untapped space where few have dared to go.”

At a time when the Maldivian luxury market continues to expand with over 170 properties competing for the same audience; SIX & SIX is investing on creativity, clarity, and cultural literacy to stand apart. Rather than relying on recognisable tropes of barefoot indulgence and overused descriptors of paradise, the focus is narrative layers that speak to a generation of travellers fluent in experience, not just expectation.

“The guest we’re speaking to has seen the world. They’re not looking for the same experience dressed up in a new location,” Edyta shares. “They want something that feels genuinely personal and deeply connected to the place, and that’s exactly what we’re building, island by island.”

The upcoming launch of RAH GILI will be an early expression of this vision, a refined yet playful resort that leans into lifestyle energy, musical programming, visual identity, and non-traditional luxury experiences that appeal to creative thinkers, urban tastemakers, and design-forward travellers. The island will be followed by DHON MAAGA, a more opulent, contemplative escape centred around wellness and spatial luxury — reflecting SIX & SIX commitment to differentiated, island-specific experiences.

For advisors and trade professionals, Edyta’s appointment also signals a renewed focus on transparency, product differentiation, and long-term commercial partnerships.

“We’re not looking for short bursts of visibility,” she says. “We’re looking for alignment with agencies, advisors, and partners who want to build lasting value with us.”

With her leadership, SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS is crafting a commercial strategy as distinctive as the islands themselves. One that places emotion at the centre, and precision at every step.

Marc Gussing, Director of Operations at SIX & SIX, adds: “SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS is not just a collection of resorts — it is a philosophy expressed through place, acting both as a guardian and the creative mind behind a new wave of destination experiences. Edyta’s role is essential to making that philosophy commercially viable, without ever compromising what makes it unique. She brings the discipline we need to succeed without losing identity.”

RAH GILI MALDIVES opens in December 2025, marking the first chapter in what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated new resort stories in the Indian Ocean. But beyond the headline, the strategy is clear: to redefine what luxury means, how it feels, and most importantly, how it’s remembered.

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