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Italy thirsts for tourists as country reopens to Europe

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Italy reopened to travellers from Europe on Wednesday, three months after going into coronavirus lockdown, but sparse arrivals dimmed hopes of reviving the key tourism industry as the summer season begins.

Gondolas are ready to punt along Venice’s canals, lovers can act out “Romeo and Juliet” on Verona’s famed balcony, and gladiator fans can pose for selfies at Rome’s Colosseum.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the country was clearly on the mend, adding latest contagion data was “encouraging.”

“There’s enthusiam in the air, a renewed sociability. We deserve to smile, to be cheerful, after weeks of great sacrifice,” he said, adding the time had come to lure tourists back.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio urged European countries to open their borders too.

“We are waiting for reciprocity from all European countries,” the minister told a press conference.

Austria and Switzerland are keeping their frontiers with Italy shut.

There were also fears many are hesitant to come to a country like Italy still shaking off a vicious pandemic.

“We hoped to see some movement from today, but have no foreign tourists booked in for this week or next,” said Alessandra Conti, a receptionist at the Albergo del Senato hotel which overlooks the Pantheon in Rome.

“We’ve got a few reservations from mid-June… (but) are still getting lots of cancellations for this summer”.

‘Smouldering’ virus

Italy was the first European country to be hit hard by the coronavirus and has officially reported more than 33,500 deaths — the third highest toll in the world.

It imposed an economically crippling lockdown in early March and has since seen its infection numbers drop off dramatically.

With the country facing its deepest recession since World War II, it needs a swift return of foreign tourists.

A masked gondolier hopes domestic and foreign tourists will take a punt on Italy this summer with the country facing its deepest recession since World War II. PHOTO: AFP / ANDREA PATTARO

But it is still reporting hundreds of new cases a day, particularly in the northern Lombardy region, and experts warn Rome may be moving too quickly in permitting travel between regions and abroad.

Infectious diseases expert Massimo Galli said it would have been better to wait until July to reopen the borders.

The virus “smoulders under the ashes, and when it finds the ideal conditions, it explodes. Even more so if we lower our guard,” he said Wednesday.

‘Like a leper’

International flights into Milan, Rome and Naples increased, with a few also coming into smaller, regional airports.

German Regina Oswald, 53, was one of the very few foreign tourists to be spotted in Venice’s Saint Mark’s Square.

“It’s fantastic to see Venice without a lot of people, it’s the one time in my life I can enjoy it like this,” said Oswald, who arrived early Wednesday for a three-day stay.

“I am worried about the virus, but will take precautions”, she said, such as always eating at outdoor tables in restaurants.

Italy fears those who usually travel in by car, train or ferry may holiday elsewhere.

Switzerland has warned citizens going to Italy they will be subject to “health measures” on their return. It will open its borders with Germany, France and Austria on June 15.

A lifeguard wearing a protective facemask checks the distance between sun beds at Fregene beach near Rome. PHOTO: AFP / Tiziana FABI

Austria is lifting border restrictions from Thursday — but not with Italy, described last week by Vienna’s health minister as “still a hotspot”.

Foreign Minister Di Maio had warned neighbours not to treat Italy “like a leper” and will Saturday visit Germany, Slovenia and Greece to try to persuade them Italy is safe.

‘Scared’

Lockdown had a devastating effect on Italy’s tourism sector which amounts to some 13 percent of GDP.

Only 40 of Rome’s 1,200 hotels have reopened, the Corriere della Sera newspaper said, and just a dozen in Milan.

Restaurants and cafes have slowly reopened in recent days — but the government says it will impose localised lockdowns if it sees contagion numbers rise.

“Who’s going to come? No one from South America, China or the US. And the Europeans will be scared,” Mimmo Burgio, 62, owner of a cafe near Rome’s Colosseum, told AFP.

Reporting and photos: AFP

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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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