Business
International Maldives Travel Market 2018 kicks off
International Maldives Travel Market (IMTM) 2018 kicked off on Saturday.
Finance minister Ahmed Munawar inaugurated the travel trade show, which is being held at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi resort from Saturday to Sunday. Officials from relevant government authorities and partner organisations attended the inauguration ceremony held at the event venue Saturday morning.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mohamed Farshath, the Managing Director of IMTM Pvt Ltd, said the international travel trade fair seeks to provide a cost-effective internal platform which can garner a major collective industry presence.
“IMTM 2018 is different from most conventional travel and trade fairs in the sense that at IMTM 2018 hosted buyers (tour operators and travel agencies) are stationed at private meeting spaces acting as exhibitors,” he said.
“One of the key aspects of IMTM 2018 is the provision of a semi-formal setting by hosting the exhibition in a pristine tropical resort in the Maldives. Thus, allowing participants to indulge in a true Maldivian holiday experience before, during and after the official exhibition dates.”

IMTM has received endorsements from key industry stakeholders, including the tourism ministry, Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), Liveaboard Association of Maldives (LAM), Association of Travel Agents (ATA) Maldives and Guesthouse Association of Maldives (GAM).
Partners that have signed up with IMTM include Dhiraagu, Astrabon, Stage Core, Maldives Ports Limited (MPL), Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), Allied Insurance Company, Greater Male Industrial Zone Limited, Resort Life Travel, Capital Travel, Coca-Cola, Cyprea Card Centre, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Kaimoo Hotels, Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Metal Signs, Maagiri Hotel and Print Lab Creative.
Maldives Insider, Public Service Media (PSM), MV Hotels and The Island Chief have been assigned as the media partners of IMTM 2018.
IMTM is the first international travel and trade fair to be held at a resort.
The event brings together 33 leading international tour operators and travel agencies, representing 19 countries to explore new opportunities and liaise with a major representation of the Maldives tourism industry. It also accommodates over 100 participants from the local tourism industry, including representatives from resorts, hotels, guesthouses, liveaboards, dive centres, tour operators and travel agencies.
In order to sustain the hospitality and tourism industry of Maldives, IMTM is actively trying to create solutions and solve the problems that the industry is facing, especially those businesses that are trying hard to thrive but are unable to attend international fairs due to the hefty cost involved.
IMTM’s long term vision is to promote Maldives as an emerging world class MICE destination.
Business
Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space
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.
Business
BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet
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.
Action
Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah
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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