Business
Maldives represented at the world’s largest fair, Expo 2020 Dubai
Maldives pavilion is now open for visitors at Expo 2020 Dubai. Maldives is represented at the pavilion by the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Tourism and Visit Maldives.
Expo 2020, dubbed as World Expo, is held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a duration of six month from 1st October 2021 till 31st March 2022. This year’s Expo theme is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.
It provides a great platform to showcase destinations, latest innovations, and investment opportunities from around the world under three major themes; Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity. The event will see exhibitors from over 192 countries. An estimated 25 million visitors are expected to visit the Expo during its duration.

The Maldives’ pavilion is promoting the country under the Sustainability theme at the Expo 2020. The country’s pavilion will showcase the unique beauty of the destination, enhance brand visibility, and share investment opportunities available in the Maldives.
Throughout the duration of the six months of the expo, Visit Maldives will also give away exciting raffes to lucky winners every week. These raffes are conducted under the title “Win 100 days of Free Holidays in the Maldives”. The raffes provide 100 lucky winners free holidays in the Maldives.
Coinciding with the Expo 2020, Visit Maldives, is also carrying out a visibility campaign at Dubai Mall. This month-long campaign, launched on 1st October, will showcase the destination on 384 screens in the mall. The video aims to attract visitors to the Maldives pavilion at the Expo, advertise the “Win 100 days of Free Holidays in the Maldives” raffle to be taken during each week of the event for six months, and promote the destination.
Through the participation in Expo 2020, affluent residents from the Middle East and delegates visiting the Expo from other countries are targeted, to promote the destination.

During the six month, we aim to promote different aspects of the destination, conduct trade and business which can result in increased foreign direct investment.
Through our pavilion at Expo 2020 we aim to showcase our unique natural environment and our country’s unmatched natural beauty that is enjoyed by both locals and visitors. This activity is conducted as part of Visit Maldives’ strategies for the Middle Eastern market.
By 15th September 2021, Maldives welcomed a total of 843,552 visitors to the Maldives out of which 11,192 arrivals were from the UAE, which is a growth of 47.8% compared to 2019. Meanwhile, during this period, we received 27,380 arrivals from Saudi Arabia, which is a growth of 37.7% when compared to 2019.
Visit Maldives has been holding and participating in several events to promote the destination in top source, emerging and new markets. This includes webinars, fam trips, roadshows, fairs, and exhibitions.
Activities planned for the Middle East for the year include joint marketing campaigns with Qatar Airways, Qatar Travel Mart 2021, Maldives Roadshow in Doha, a media influencer FAM trip and GCC region/ KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) focused digital campaigns.
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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