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Connoisseur Circle awards Best Luxury Destination title to Maldives

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The Maldives is awarded the “Best Luxury Destination of the Year” by Connoisseur Circle, a popular luxury publication for the German speaking markets.

It is the only German-language magazine that exclusively addresses luxury travellers featuring high-end hotels and exclusive destinations worldwide.

The Connoisseur Circle Hospitality Awards is an initiative by the publication and are among the most prestigious prizes in the international luxury hotel industry, presented for the ninth time this year.

Consisting of renowned travel journalists and tourism insiders, a 16-member expert jury applied strict criteria to thoroughly evaluate a total of 27 candidates in nine categories in which Maldives won under the ‘Best Luxury Destination of the Year’ category.

“We are extremely honoured to receive the ‘Best luxury destination of the year’ award from the Connoisseur Circle Hospitality Awards. We are grateful for the recognition we have received for the work undertaken by each and every stakeholder in the Maldives tourism industry,” Thoyyib Mohamed, the Managing Director of Visit Maldives, said.

In addition, Thoyyib remarked upon the successful revival of the Maldivian tourism industry and the ongoing vaccination campaign in the destination.

Visit Maldives is currently conducting a year-long campaign with Connoisseur Circle utilising a multitude of platforms in both the online and offline channels of the publication in order to promote Maldives as a safe haven and uplift the destination presence in the German luxury market.

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 readers.

A total of 25,129 visitors from Germany, 9,330 from Switzerland and 5,487 from Austria have arrived in Maldives till May 2021. Though these figures are low compared to the figures of 2020 due to ongoing travel restrictions, their market contributions are significant, with Germany holding a market ranking of three whereas Switzerland and Austria rank at 11 and 17 respectively.

Visit Maldives works to maintain destination presence and strengthen the Maldivian brand in the German market through a variety of marketing activities.

These include several B2B and B2C activities such as 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 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 has surpassed a half-million mark so far this year.

Amongst 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 whilst adapting to the evolving situation.

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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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