The Maldives is pitching itself to the Islamic tourism market following a surge of interest in the destination from the Middle East region this year.
The Maldives registered a 77.8 percent increase in tourist arrivals from the region in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period last year, while traditional markets, including the UK and Italy, recorded steep declines.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and head of the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC), Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, highlighted the appeal of the Maldives as a destination for Islamic travellers during the recent World Islamic Tourism Mart (WITM) in Malaysia.
The event was held simultaneously alongside the Malaysia International Tourism Exchange (MITE) 2012, and the international conference on Muslim Tourism (InCoMTHU).
The MMPRC noted that during the conference, Jamal gave a presentation entitled ‘Maldives: A Perfect Destination for Muslim Travellers’.
“The Maldives is a perfect destination for these travellers as all the food items in the resorts are halal, apart from the pork and alcohol, and all the islands have mosques,” Jamal told Minivan News.
Alongside the Middle East, the MMPRC had identified Malaysia as a key emerging market, he said, with growth of 18 percent from January to May 2012, compared to the same period last year.
“Thirty percent of Malaysia’s population are Chinese and they are quite well off,” he noted, explaining that the existing adaptation of the resorts to accommodate the surge in Chinese
market growth would also attract guests from Malaysia.
A key appeal of the destination to the market was the isolation and privacy offered by resorts in the Maldives, Jamal explained.
“One of the unique things about rooms in the Maldives is that you can go seven days without seeing anybody,” he said. “Many resorts have rooms with private spas and pools – privacy one of the key market factors.”
One of the key drivers of the Middle Eastern market in the Maldives was increased investment from the region, he observed, particularly with the opening of properties such as Jumeriah.
“We’ve found that one of the best ways of building an emerging market is to get investment from that market,” Jamal said, explaining that this was also key to the early development of the Japanese market in the Maldives.
The introduction of Sharia-compliant tourism to the country, with the opening of a Lootah property expected in 2013, would build the appeal of the destination, Jamal said.
“There’s not much difference,” he explained. “One little thing might be that the prayer direction is indicated in the room, and designed so that people can pray inside. It’s a niche segment, and the Maldives is the perfect place to develop it as it has an open economy – just look at the blonde island.”
Tapping into emerging destinations was key to reaching the country’s goal of one million tourists in 2012, Jamal said, offsetting the decline in markets such as Italy, Spain and France due to the economic decline in Europe.
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Mashallah, Mashallah, Mashallah.
We shall welcome them with green palm fronds and ululations, with the duff playing "Tala al Badru alaina"
Gender segregated resorts, Honeymoon suites with attached day care centers for child brides, stoning stadiums for entertainment... Fun fun fun.
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''all the food items in the resorts are halal, apart from the pork and alcohol'', Does this mean,the food served in other tourist destination like Seychelles, Mauritius, Caymans, St Lucia and Barbados are 'Haram'? Where did Maleeh Jamal get his degree in Shekhism? Pakistan?
"Sharia-compliant tourism" ....!!?
"“One little thing might be that the prayer direction is indicated in the room, and designed so that people can pray inside. It’s a niche segment ... "
How niche!! And what a novel idea - people can actually pray inside their rooms? Wow!! What a totally unique and innovative idea that no-one has ever thought of or done before in a resort in the Maldives!
We can almost see the 'Sharia-compliant' tourists coming in their hoards to pray in these 'Sharia-compliant' rooms.
Absolutely spellbound.
“The Maldives is a perfect destination for these travellers as all the food items in the resorts are halal, apart from the pork and alcohol..."
Shouldn't take too much effort to get Halal pork and alcohol into the resorts. I've seen gentlemen from the Middle East eat the aforesaid in upmarket restaurants of Europe and North America. Surely, with the "isolation and privacy offered by resorts", we can even charge a nice premium for their inclusion.
Maldivian goverment should have thought of this before, any ways. Alhamdulillah its a good news to hear and hope this will do in the best, and please dont spoil.!!!!
I think it makes sense! Arab tourists are least affected by economic slowdown at the moment. Maldivian staff at these resorts are muslim, and in all honesty, when many of them come for holiday, they want to take off the headscarves and just have fun. Isolated island might just do exactly that!
When we target middle east for tourism, have to also remember that israeli tourists are some of the biggest spenders. Wonder what the government thinks of that after denying their airline, LOL.
“One of the unique things about rooms in the Maldives is that you can go seven days without seeing anybody,” Really? Solitary confinement is an extra punishment in western prisons!
Its a great news
hope to go there 1 day
Look at all the kaafir trolling the comments go do the same on multitude of christian evangelical resorts in the US
The only thing some Maldivians are really good at are mocking..that is what is observed in the comments...the ignorant, uneducated but (in their mind, the smartest of all people)...