Business
Visit Maldives, National Geographic Traveller hosts photo exhibition in Russia
Visit Maldives has collaborated with National Geographic Traveller Russia for a physical photo exhibition in two major cities of Russia, in a bid to promote the Maldives as a top of the mind safe haven destination in the Russian market.
The physical exhibition is held from June 16-30 in Moscow followed by an exhibition in St. Petersburg.
The exhibit in Moscow is held at Tverskoy Boulevard, one of the main streets in Moscow with high daily traffic.
The exhibit in St. Petersburg will be held in Kirov Central Park, a dynamically developing cultural and recreational space, suitable for audiences of different age groups and interests.
As the exhibits are held during summer, it is estimated to attract a total of three to five million people.

The exhibition will feature photos showcasing the breathtaking natural scenery of Maldives and the local island lifestyle.
The photos highlight the four Maldives tourism products and the unique variety of experiences offered in Maldives such as diving with whale sharks, flying aboard a seaplane and surfing the majestic waves of Maldives.
The photographs also represent the Maldives as a safe haven destination due to the unique geography and the natural socially-distanced islands of Maldives.
In addition to the physical exhibit, materials of the exhibition will be featured and published by the Russian National Geographic website, National Geographic social media handles and a virtual photo exhibition.
Three articles will be written in connection with the exhibit and the project will also be supported on Facebook, VK and Telegram.
An estimated total of five million will be reached digitally.

The exhibition is held following the Visit Maldives’ invitation of a renowned photographer, Ivan Dementievsky, earlier this year in March. Some photographs by local photographers will also be featured in the exhibition.
Visit Maldives aims to promote and highlight the culture, traditions, heritage and the local island experience of Maldives.
Several initiatives are underway to market the destination in Russia. In this regard, high impact campaigns on both offline and online platforms are in the pipeline for the market with several more collaborations with media and key stakeholders in the market.
Several initiatives have been conducted and are underway to market the destination in the Russian market.
Visit Maldives attended MITT 2021, the largest travel trade show in Russia, held in March 2021. Notably, Maldives won ‘Best Island Presentation’ and ‘Bright Exhibiting Award’ during this fair.
Visit Maldives also hosted a roadshow in four major Russian cities to promote Maldives as the most preferred holiday destination for Russian travellers.
Similarly, Visit Maldives also took part in Moscow Dive Show to promote the dive segment and also joined Russia’s popular Luxury Travel Mart 2021 (LTM) in April 2021.
Visit Maldives has previously hosted a TV crew from Moya Planeta, a top TV channel in Russia with the broadcast of the episode shot in Maldives scheduled to air this month.
Several media familiarisation trips have been conducted during the first quarter of this year targeting Russia & CIS region. Visit Maldives invited a group of journalists to experience the offers of the destination in May 2021 as well.
In addition, Visit Maldives is conducting a global campaign targeting Russia in collaboration with Expedia. The collaboration with Expedia is one of the many impactful global campaigns planned for the year.
Visit Maldives has carried out an educational and training programme targeted to the Russian travel trade with Association of Tour Operators in Russia (ATOR).
Russia is the largest source market of tourist arrivals to the Maldives. As of June 2, Maldives have welcomed a total of 107,102.
With direct fight connectivity between Russia and Maldives through Aerofot and ease of travel guidelines to Maldives, the Russian market plays an incremental role in achieving pre-pandemic arrival figures.
Maldives has welcomed a total of 479,597 travellers so far in 2021.
Maldives reopened its borders for tourists of all nationalities on July 15, 2020 with rigorous procedures in place to ensure the safety of tourists and tourism workers.
Tourists are required to fill an online health declaration form within 24 hours prior to their departure, as well as have a negative PCR test result, conducted 96 hours prior to their departure
The administration of the Covid-19 vaccine was initiated on February 1 with the government of Maldives set to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to all citizens and residents of the country in the upcoming months.
Visit Maldives together with the tourism ministry launched the “I’m Vaccinated” campaign in order to share a positive message regarding the vaccination of staff working in the tourism sector as well as promoting the initiatives undertaken to ensure the Maldives remains one of the safest destinations in the world for travellers.
The ultimate target is to make Maldives the destination with the first fully vaccinated tourism sector in the world.
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.
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