Business
Visit Maldives begins e-learning programme in Italian market
Visit Maldives has commenced an e-learning programme with Turismo & Attualità this July targeting the travel trade of the Italian market.
The programme will take place for a duration of one year, from July 2.
Turismo & Attualità’s platform is the most widely used e-learning platform in the market and connects to a database of over 30,000 travel agents.
The platform will be used to educate the Italian travel trade on different aspects of tourism in the Maldives such as romantic getaways, underwater adventures, sustainable tourism and family holidays. This will be covered over 10 sessions which will be live on the platform.
Information of latest updates on travel guidelines, Covid-19 situation and accommodation options will also be provided.
Italian travel trade professionals can log in to the platform, and attend each session which consists of written content, quizzes, images and videos relevant to the particular topic covered.
Additionally, the destination will be promoted on the social media pages, monthly newsletters and web pages of Turismo & Attualità for the duration of this programme.
Visit Maldives will be providing complimentary gift packs to the first 10 participants who complete all 10 sessions and a certificate of completion will be issued by Turismo & Attualità for all travel agents who complete the programme.
This campaign is in line with Visit Maldives’ strategy to strengthen destination brand online and use of specialized platforms to promote the hospitality products: resorts, guesthouses, hotels and liveaboards. It also serves to create greater awareness amongst Italian travel trade for different tourist segments, such as diving, family vacations and sustainable tourism.
Visit Maldives also participated in the BIT Digital Edition 2021 held this May in order to increase brand presence and engagement in the Italian market. Other activities planned for this market include webinars, digital advertisements, joint campaigns with tour operators and familiarisation trips for both media contacts and travel trade.
Prior to the pandemic, Italy was one of the top three markets to the Maldives, with an arrival figure of 136,343 in 2019. Compared to the figures of the previous year this was a 29.5 per cent increase.
While these figures declined in 2020 due to travel restrictions enforced by the Italian government to contain the spread of Covid-19, it is expected that once these measures are eased and travel resumes, the market will once again be a key contributor to arrival figures.
In order to build and maintain relationships with the agents active in the market and Italian travel trade, Visit Maldives shares a monthly newsletter with these stakeholders. Additionally, updates of vaccination statistics in the Maldives are provided regularly.
On February 1, Maldives initiated the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine, aiming to provide free Covid-19 vaccine to all citizens and residents of Maldives in the upcoming months.
The tourism ministry also launched an initiative to vaccinate people in the tourism sector to further ensure the safety of tourists and industry staff alike.
As of June 20, 315,282 people in the Maldives have received the first dose of the vaccine and 183,373 people have received the second dose. Notably, over 90 per cent of the workers in the tourism industry of the Maldives have also been administered the first dose of the vaccine.
Visit Maldives together with the tourism ministry launched the “I’m Vaccinated” campaign in April to share a positive message regarding the vaccination of staff working in the tourism sector.
The campaign celebrates the commitment of various stakeholders to ensure that Maldives becomes the first destination with a fully vaccinated tourism sector as well as promoting the initiatives undertaken to ensure the Maldives remains one of the safest destinations in the world for travellers.
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.
-
Action1 week agoBestbuy Maldives supports health, wellness as Main Sponsor of MNU Marathon 2026
-
Cooking1 week agoMaagiri Hotel invites guests to celebrate Ramadan with daily Iftar
-
Awards1 week agoEllaidhoo Maldives secures HolidayCheck Gold Award for second consecutive year
-
Love1 week agoRomance in nature: Valentine’s week at Eri Maldives
-
News6 days agoVentive Hospitality aligns Maldives portfolio with Green Fins marine sustainability platform
-
Business6 days agoFeydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space
-
Awards1 week agoReethi Faru Resort recognised with HolidayCheck Award 2026
-
Awards1 week agoThe Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands secures Forbes Five-Star rating for fourth consecutive year


