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World’s leading travel trade show kicks off in Berlin with record number of Maldives tourism reps

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Maldives has participated at the world’s leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin.

With a record number of 280 representatives from 106 companies from the Maldives, it is the largest event for the Maldives tourism sector as well. The Maldives contingent is led by Jameela Ali, the Maldives ambassador in Germany, Ahmed Shiaan, the Maldives ambassador to EU, and Haris Mohamed, the Acting Managing Director of Maldives Maldives and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC).

During the fair, being held from March 7-11 at the Messe Berlin Exhibition grounds in German capital of Berlin, the Maldives is showcasing a variety of destination-specific experiences at a newly-designed 405 square metre, two-storey stand.

The brand new design of Maldives displays various aspects of the destination through colourful images. In a contemporary setting, traditional elements such as traditional swing and joali seats hand woven with rope and powder soft white sand from the Maldives are infused into the design to bring out a local touch.

For a taste of the Maldives, the Maldives stand is showcasing a gourmet food area with a variety of refreshments for a delightful experience for the visitors. This includes tastes of different local flavours of Maldivian snacks such as fried breadfruit and athu jehi (made from dried tuna).

A live cooking station demonstrating the art of making traditional roshi (Maldivian flat bread), which can be tried with rihaakuru (fish paste) and mashuni (tuna salad) is also set up at the stand. In addition, Maldivian sweets such as Addu Bendi (a tasty sweet from the southern part of Maldives; wrapped like a candy with banana leaf) are also being served to visitors.

Highlights of activities at the Maldives stand include experiencing the Maldives natural beauty through virtual reality, cultural dances by young Maldivian women in vibrant traditional wear, taking pictures and posting on social media at the photo corner where you can experience the ‘Sunny Side of life’.

In addition, the customary Maldivian Night will also be held on Wednesday evening at the Hotel Palace Berlin, by invitation of top travel trade, media and Maldives tourism industry partners.

More than 180 countries across five continents are participating at ITB Berlin this year. These include 10,000 exhibitors, 1,000 qualified top buyers, 28,000 convention visitors, and 109,000 trade visitors. There was a turnover of seven billion euros in business deals last year, according to the fair organisers.

ITB Berlin, through its B2B platform, provides vast opportunities for the Maldives industry partners to interact with trade visitors, and expand contacts and do business. It is also the place to showcase the offerings of Maldives and communicate destination information to the travel trade, media as well as the public.

Germany is currently the second largest source market to the Maldives. A total of 112,109 Germans chose Maldives for their vacation in 2017, which is a growth of 5.2 percent compared to 2016.

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Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

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Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

  • Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
  • Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
  • Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
  • Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

  • A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
  • A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
  • The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

  • Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
  • Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

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BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

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Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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