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Maldives promoted at Southeast Asia’s largest B2B travel trade show, ITB Asia Virtual 2021

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Maldives was promoted virtually on Southeast Asia’s largest B2B travel & trade show, ITB Asia 2021 Virtual. The event was held from 25th – 29th October 2021.

ITB Asia 2021 Virtual, alongside MICE Show Asia 2021 Virtual and Travel Tech Asia 2021 Virtual, provided five days of back-to-back business appointments for co-exhibitors to maximise their networking opportunities via the enhanced virtual meeting platform.

Co-exhibitors were provided with an interactive networking profile and five complimentary virtual trade visitor tickets to the event. The event also featured a comprehensive supplier directory, knowledge library and on-demand videos.

Maldives was marketed at the event by Visit Maldives and 15 industry partners. The participation in ITB Asia 2021 Virtual was conducted as part of the strategy to gain momentum and increase tourist arrival numbers from Southeast Asia.

It provided a platform for Visit Maldives and the industry partners to connect and network with key stakeholders from the Southeast Asian market, and to inform the travel trade about the latest information regarding the destination.

Through this event, we marketed Maldives as a safe haven for travellers from Southeast Asia, emphasising on the geographical advantage of our islands which allows natural social distancing for tourists.

This is Asia’s largest B2B travel trade show, bringing more than 13,000 show attendees. Over 132 countries & territories took part in the five day virtual event, making it the largest international travel trade show held in the region. Over 3,200 exhibitors and more than 1,250 pre-qualified buyers from the MICE, Corporate, and Leisure segment took part in ITB Asia 2021 Virtual.

The South Asian market has been an important market for the Maldives during the past several years. By 24th October this year, Maldives welcomed 962,490 tourists, however with borders of important markets in the Southeast Asia region still closed, the region has contributed 1,766 arrivals to this figure.

So far this year Visit Maldives has held several activities such as webinars, roadshows, and joint marketing campaigns targeting this market. We have also participated in minor and major fairs and exhibitions held for the travel trade from this market, in order to increase arrivals and brand awareness of the Maldives.

Ongoing activities for this market includes a Campaign with TripZilla, Digital Campaign with Malaysia Tatler and a Campaign with Travel Weekly Asia. Future activities planned for this market are Maldives E-Learning Program for Southeast Asia, Halal In Asia B2B Virtual Event, Cabvertising Campaign with MyBump Media and participation at the Malaysia International Dive Exhibition 2021 (MIDE).

Visit Maldives prioritises holding marketing activities targeting top, new and emerging markets, in order to maintain destination momentum, increase bookings and arrivals and to keep Maldives as a top of the mind destination globally.

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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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