Business
Visit Maldives begins year-long campaign with Connoisseur Circle for German markets
Visit Maldives has commenced a year-long campaign with Connoisseur Circle, an exclusive magazine for luxury hotels and destinations worldwide targeting an elite audience of travel enthusiasts in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
The campaign will use a multitude of platforms in both the online and offline channels of the publication in order to promote the Maldives as a safe haven and uplift the destination presence for the luxury market.
The components of the campaign are distributed throughout the year which includes, advertorials in the print magazine, editorial stories in e-magazines, posts and promotional clips on social media, website banner display and features in newsletters.
Maldives is also nominated as the Best Luxury Destination for the Year by the Hospitality Awards organised by Connoisseur Circle.
Over 30,000 consumers are reached through the online channels with 43,500 users on their social media platforms. Additionally, 47,000 copies in Germany, 9,000 copies in Switzerland and 25,000 copies in Austria are circulated reaching many high-income earners.
A total of 7,386 visitors from Germany, 5,189 from Switzerland and 2,235 from Austria have arrived in the Maldives by the end of February.
Though these figures are low compared to figures of 2020 due to ongoing travel restrictions, their market contributions are significant, with Germany holding a market ranking of seven, whereas Switzerland and Austria rank at 10 and 13 respectively.
The campaign with Connoisseur Circle is part of Visit Maldives’ strategy in promoting the Maldives to the German speaking markets through ambient advertising along with usage of German language on social media platforms.
Similarly, several campaigns are underway to further promote the destination in these markets. These include several B2B and B2C activities like Joint promotions with Airlines and Tour Operators, destination training and several more collaborations with media and key stakeholders in the market.
Visit Maldives also participated in ITB Berlin held this March, one of the leading travel and trade shows in the world. Throughout the four-day virtual fair, a variety of networking events were carried out and provided a platform to strengthen destination presence and promote the Maldives as a safe haven.
Despite the global pandemic, Maldives welcomed a total of 555,494 travellers in 2020, and over 190,000 travellers in the January-February period this year.
Among the many activities planned for the remainder of the year includes, social media campaigns, joint marketing campaigns with global stakeholders, familiarisation trips and visibility campaigns.
Several marketing activities and strategies have also been shifted to digital platforms in order to promote the destination while adapting to the evolving situation.
Administration of Covid-19 vaccine was initiated on February 1 with the government of Maldives aiming to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to all citizens and residents in the upcoming months.
As of April 15, 277،522 people in the Maldives have received the first dose of the vaccine with 34,531 receiving the second dose. About 90 per cent of the workers in the tourism industry have also been administered the first dose of the vaccine.
The initiation of the vaccination drive is bound to offer hope to the local population, as well as ensure the safety of tourists.
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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