Business
First Visit Maldives Travel Expo kicks off in Malaysia

First ever Visit Maldives Travel Expo kicked off in Malaysia on Friday.
The exhibition, which takes place July 5-7 at IOI City Mall in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya, is the first of its kind to be held by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). Its uniqueness is further bolstered by the fact that it is being held in association with AirAsia, the biggest budget airline in the region.
The fair kicked off Friday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of MMPRC, Amanda Woo, Regional Head of Corporate at AirAsia, and Visam Ali, Maldives Ambassador in Malaysia). This was followed by a press briefing.
Seventeen participants across the Maldives tourism industry representing top tour operators, travel agents, resorts and guesthouses are exhibiting at the fair. They are: AAA Hotels & Resorts, Coral Island Maldives, Crown & Champa Resorts, Furaveri Island resort & Spa, Guest House Association of Maldives, Lets Go Maldives, Liyela Retreat, Plumeria Hotels & Resorts, Reollo Travel, Resort Life Maldives, Season Paradise, Seven Ocean Travel, Splendid Asia, Sun Travel & Tours, Travel Connection Maldives, UI Maldives, and Villa Hotels & Resorts.
Whilst the first day of the event is dedicated to the travel trade, the second and third days will be open for consumers. The 150,000-200,000 shoppers that visit the award-winning mall will have the chance to visit the fair from 10am to 9pm on both days.
The whole arena has been designed to showcase the beauty and culture of Maldives. Complementing this, various cultural performances will be held throughout the exhibition. Visitors will also have a chance to taste authentic Maldivian flavours at the Visit Maldives stand. Other highlights include experiencing Maldives through virtual reality.
A raffle draw will select winners for free holidays in Maldives sponsored by Furaveri Island Resort & Spa, Paradise Island Resort & Spa, and Plumeria Maldives along with free tickets from AirAsia.
Meanwhile, AirAsia is also offering 20 per cent discount on all flights to the Maldives for bookings made during the fair. The discount is applicable for trips taken between July 5 and November 21.
“VMTE is a new avenue creating a great platform to open business opportunities for bringing the Malaysian and South East Asian markets to the Maldives, which is a new area of focus for the Maldives tourism. This initiative, together with numerous other activities planned for the rest of the year is anticipated to bring about a significant boost in this important regional market,” MMPRC said, in a statement.
Malaysia is a fast growing source market for Maldives tourism.
Official figures show that 22,202 Malaysian tourists visited the Maldives in 2018 — a 16.3 per cent increase over the 19,092 in 2017. That growth is set to continue this year, as arrivals from Malaysia recorded an 8.6 per cent increase in the first four months of the year to reach 7,800 from 7,185 in the same period last year.
The growth in the Malaysian market is boosted by AirAsia’s direct flight operations to the Maldives.
AirAsia currently operates a daily service connecting Kuala Lumpur and Male, utilising its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft with 180 and 186 seat capacity. Separately, its long-haul affiliate AirAsia X serves the same route four days a week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 377-seat capacity, including 12 Premium Flatbed seats.
Business
Villa Resorts hosts over 200 travel agents from India to showcase its transformation

Villa Resorts, a leading Maldivian resort group, recently hosted a series of events for over 200 travel agents from India.
The events were held to highlight the company’s recent rebranding and to familiarise travel agents with the significant changes made as part of its strategic Blue Ocean Shift.
Villa Resorts has a significant market presence in India, and the events were part of the company’s ongoing efforts to work closely with its partners to showcase its transformation and enhancements in its products and services.
The familiarisation events drew over 200 participants, making it one of the largest series of events for travel agents ever hosted by a Maldivian resort group.
Villa Resorts plans to continue hosting similar events throughout the coming year to promote its growing portfolio of resorts to the Indian market.
Business
‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion: Four draws, countless winners, more to go

The ‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion, which launched with great fanfare on June 23, continues to captivate audiences across the nation with its promise of incredible prizes and adrenaline-pumping excitement. As Coca-Cola moves forward, the company has announced not one, but four draws that have rewarded lucky winners with exciting prizes!
The ‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion has been a huge success, with dozens of lucky winners taking home amazing prizes, such as Benelli motorbikes, helmets, and Charged drink cases. The promotion, which started on June 23, has been attracting customers from all over the Maldives, who have been enjoying the refreshing taste of Charged caffeinated beverage and the thrill of scratching their cards to reveal their codes.
So far, four draws have taken place, each one broadcasted live on Television Maldives (TVM) at 9:30pm. The winners of the Benelli motorbikes were Mohamed Adam, MD Musharraf, Mohamed Rasel Hossain and Ahmed Zahir who were ecstatic to receive their prizes and thanked Charged for making their dreams come true. The winners of the helmets and drink cases were also delighted with their rewards and encouraged others to join the promotion.
But don’t worry if you haven’t won yet, because there are still more chances to win! The ‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion is not over yet. That means you still have time to grab your favourite Charged drink, scratch your card, and send your code to 2626 via SMS.
As the exciting journey continues, there are two main draws left in this thrilling event, scheduled for September 24 and October 20. You could be the next lucky winner of a Benelli Leoncino 250 motorbike! But the excitement doesn’t stop there; be sure to keep an eye out for the daily draws, with winners announced regularly on the @ChargedMaldives Instagram page. You could stand a chance to win a Charged branded helmet, or a Charged drink case.
Charged, a ground-breaking addition to Coca-Cola Maldives’ beverage portfolio, is available in 250 ml, in 100% recyclable aluminium cans, in line with our packaging strategy to use 100% recyclable packaging material. The caffeinated beverage is now widely available at major retail outlets, hotels, restaurants, and cafes throughout the Maldives.
Business
JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La unveils Oro’s 100% Arabica Rose Coffee

JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La has introduced a special coffee to their collection – Oro’s 100% Arabica Rose Coffee. This latest addition to the menu of Jen’s Kitchen On-the-Go aims to provide coffee lovers with the unique and delicate taste of Oro’s Arabica Rose.
The hotel was alive with excitement on Thursday evening with the launch of Oro’s 100% Arabica rose. Media personnel and coffee enthusiasts were treated to an exclusive tasting experience of freshly brewed Arabica Rose Coffee along with some tasty finger foods.
The highlight of the evening was a lucky draw giveaway, extending an invitation for all the guests to participate and win a Skechers Maldives voucher and coffee voucher from Jen’s Kitchen On-the-Go.
Oro’s Arabica Rose Coffee is now available at Jen’s Kitchen on-the-go. It is the perfect spot to refuel with coffee, tea, freshly squeezed juices, or a light bite. Customers can now enroll to become a Shangri-La Circle Member and earn points with every purchase at Jen’s Kitchen On- the-Go and enjoy the rewards at Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts worldwide.
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