Cocoon Maldives, Joy Island and You & Me Maldives, the three Maldives resorts of The Cocoon Collection, marked World Tourism Day 2026 with full-day programmes inspired by this year’s global theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”

Across the three islands, guests and team members explored how technology, artificial intelligence and sustainability can shape the future of tourism while keeping the personal connections that define island hospitality.

Celebrations began at Cocoon Maldives with friendly competition of beach games for guests and team members. The day continued with a World Tourism Day Cocktail Party and Presentation at Loabi Loabi Bar. The presentation highlighted tourism as the backbone of the Maldivian economy and a source of livelihoods for thousands of families across the atolls, and it reaffirmed the resort’s commitment to protecting its reefs, beaches and marine life. Its centrepiece looked at how AI can personalise the guest journey.

Joy Island began the day at the main restaurant, The Market with Guests’ Ideas Wall, inviting guests to share their views on the future of travel. In the afternoon, team members joined an AI Brainstorming and Information Session at Joy Connect Conference Hall to explore practical uses of AI and digital technologies to enhance the guest experience. A Coral Planting Activity at Palm Beach underlined the resort’s commitment to marine conservation, and teams from across the resort took part in the AI Creative Challenge, developing AI-driven concepts for the future of tourism, with prizes for the first, second and third-place teams.

The day ended with a Management Cocktail and Presentation at Rainbow Bar Beach, where the leadership team shared insights into Joy Island’s digital roadmap and future direction.

At the adults-only You & Me Maldives, the day opened at Cheers Bar with the AI x Human Discovery Challenge, a scavenger hunt using a QR-code-powered Digital Passport. Guests visited six locations (the Beach, Restaurant, Reef, Spa, Water Sports Centre and Jetty), scanning QR codes and answering AI-related questions to unlock their passport.

A Cake Cutting Ceremony was held in the evening followed by a Management Cocktail Reception, where the resort unveiled The You & Me Tourism Manifesto 2026, built around the theme “Real Ideas, Brighter Tomorrows.” At the AI-Assisted Ideas Station on the beach, guests shared their views on where tourism is heading and shaped them into practical ideas. Management will review the ideas collected, and the resort will consider them for upcoming initiatives.

Through initiatives such as these, The Cocoon Collection continues to explore new ways to combine innovation, meaningful guest experiences and environmental responsibility in shaping the future of island hospitality.

World Tourism Day, observed annually on 27 September, highlights the social, cultural, political and economic significance of tourism globally. This year’s theme emphasises the responsible use of digital transformation and artificial intelligence to create more connected, innovative, efficient and sustainable tourism experiences.

At Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives, seven sea turtle hatchlings recently emerged from the sand and made their way towards the Indian Ocean, their tiny flippers carrying them across the beach before disappearing into the blue. It was a fleeting moment, but one that offered a beautiful reminder that the beaches of the Maldives are more than places to escape to. They are living environments where some of the ocean’s most extraordinary stories begin.

For a sea turtle hatchling, the distance between nest and ocean may be measured in metres, but it marks an important first chapter in a much longer journey.

Sea turtles nest throughout the year in the Maldives, with nesting activity recorded across almost all of the country’s atolls. Green turtles account for the majority of recorded nests, while hawksbill and olive ridley turtles have also been documented. Recent research into nesting activity in the Maldives found that nests typically take around two months to hatch.

Once they emerge, however, the hatchlings are immediately faced with a challenging journey. Their instinctive movement towards the ocean is one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives. Natural predators are only part of the challenge. Artificial lighting can disorient hatchlings and lead them away from the water, while pollution, fishing activity, habitat loss and the effects of climate change continue to present threats throughout their lives.

Surrounded by the waters of Vaavu Atoll, Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives sits within a rich marine environment where encounters with the natural world extend far beyond the shoreline. The waters around the atoll are home to an abundance of marine life, from colourful reef fish and rays to sharks, dolphins and sea turtles, making the ocean an ever-present part of the island experience.

At Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives, these seven hatchlings were only visitors for a matter of minutes before the ocean carried them away. But for those fortunate enough to witness their first journey, they left behind something much bigger: a reminder that in Vaavu Atoll, some of the Maldives’ most memorable experiences are the ones nature chooses to create itself.

Long before waterslides became a familiar sight at luxury resorts in the Maldives, Soneva introduced them to its overwater villas with a simple belief: luxury should never become so serious that it forgets how to play.

Since then, this sweeping curve over the Indian Ocean has become unmistakably Soneva and an invitation to let go. Now, it takes on a new form.

For Soneva × Jacob Felländer: Joy Takes Form, the Swedish contemporary artist transformed the iconic Soneva slide into a sculptural exploration of movement, freedom and imagination. Unveiled on 23 September at Slakthusområdet, Stockholm’s historic Meatpacking District, the installation took centre stage in a raw industrial space reinvented for one night. Friends of Soneva and longstanding guests came together for an evening of art, food and conversation, bringing the spirit of the islands to the city: slowing down, connecting and seeing the familiar differently.

The slide unfolds in layers, with three materials flowing into one another in a continuous movement through time. Raw, weathered metal holds the past, carrying the beauty of memories and moments that endure. The mirrored surface captures the present, alive with reflection, light and movement. The final layer opens towards the future, lighter, freer and filled with possibility.

Together, they are a reminder that joy is not fixed in time. It carries the past, comes alive in the present and moves towards everything still to come.

Celebrated chefs Adam Dahlberg and Albin Wessman created a menu inspired by the elemental character of the three islands: Earth, evoking the lush jungle of Soneva Fushi; Water, the luminous world of Soneva Jani; and Air, the remoteness of Soneva Secret. The final course was simply Whimsy.

The partnership reflects Bare Luxury, the evolved philosophy that removes the unnecessary to leave more room for what matters: wonder, curiosity, discovery and connection.

“The slide was never just a slide. It is a reminder that luxury should make us feel something,” said Neil Gallagher, Chief Executive Officer of Soneva. “By reimagining the slide through his artistic lens, Jacob has captured the sense of curiosity, freedom and joy that has always been at the heart of Soneva.”

“In today’s world, it’s increasingly important that we remember and develop what makes us distinctly human: imagination, intuition, empathy and our capacity for play. Art has a vital role in this,” said Jacob Felländer. “I’m excited about my ongoing collaboration with Soneva, a hospitality brand that truly understands the need to create space for curiosity, connection and possibility.”

Placing something born in the Maldives in the hands of a creative force brings it into a wider cultural conversation, connecting hospitality naturally with art, design and food.

The installation remains at Slakthusområdet until 31 December 2026. The creative exchange continues in the Maldives from 12 to 24 November 2026, when Felländer will be in residence at Soneva Fushi as a Soneva Star, leading workshops that encourage guests to explore their own creativity and intuition through experimentation and play.