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Hospitality investors, leaders to gather in Maldives for first tourism investment briefing

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Global event organiser Bench Events has announced the launch of the inaugural Maldives Hotel and Tourism Investment Briefing in November, providing a platform for global investors to easily explore investment opportunities in the Maldives tourism industry.

The briefing to be held on November 30 in capital Male will follow on from the Asia Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (AHTIC), which is scheduled to take place in Sri Lankan capital Colombo from November 28-29.

AHTIC is a top-level gathering of international investors, business leaders, government ministers and officials. It is anticipated that investors and other delegates will travel from Colombo to Male for a one-day briefing, with project showcases and a networking reception followed by a day of FAM trips to various islands around the region to show potential investors and partners the projects available for collaborations. These will include a range of both public and private investment opportunities.

The briefing is organised by Bench Events in partnership with ultra-luxury tourism promotion and event management company Luxury Collections, and will be hosted by the Maldives tourism ministry under the patronage of the minister Moosa Zameer.

Luxury Collections CEO and Founder Adeel Ahmed said: “We are thrilled to announce the Maldives Tourism and Hotel Investment Briefing. This event will attract some of the world’s premier investors and is co-directed by a leading international consultant who has organised multiple similar events around the globe. This event has incredible potential for tourism investment, and the Maldives is bursting with opportunities, with a tourism-based economy and a strong brand identity which has stood the test of time.”

The Asia Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (AHTIC) held last year. PHOTO/ AHTIC

In 2016, the Maldives hospitality and tourism industry recorded an annual average tourist arrival growth rate of 4.2 percent. According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the global annual average tourist arrival growth rate for the year was 3.9 percent year-on-year, which is slightly lower than the rate for the Maldives.

To cater for this increase in demand, the country continues to invest in the support infrastructure and connectivity. The main airport is currently under expansion and is expected to be completed by 2018. Several new airlines have recently commenced flights to the Maldives including Saudi Airlines, with European airlines such as Air France and Alitalia set to begin operations to the Maldives later this year.

The Maldives is an attractive destination for the discerning investor and one of South Asia’s most attractive centres for Foreign Direct Investment. Lying in the heart of the Indian Ocean, at the strategic cross roads of the East and the West, the Maldives benefits from a stable and transparent legal system, relative political stability and stable economic growth. With a rate of growth that has averaged 7.5 percent over the past 15 years, the country continues to develop at a steady pace and remains economically resilient.

The recently introduced Special Economic Zones framework provides economic incentives and introduces a flexible regulatory environment for foreign investments. With the right to incorporate businesses with 100 percent foreign ownership and no restrictions on repatriation of profits, the Maldives promotes a liberal trade environment and offers excellent ROI, which are amongst the highest globally (five to eight years on average).

Over the past three years, dozens of uninhabited islands have also been leased to local and foreign resort developers. Several international brands have entered into the market, increasing the number of resorts to 120. That number is set to increase as the government has announced the opening of some 20 new resorts by the end of this year.

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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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