Tag: Tourism

Addressing “disenfranchised” youth key to strengthening Maldives resort security, claims president

Consultations between the police, government and tourism insiders continued today aimed at boosting resort security in the Maldives following recent robberies, with President Nasheed calling for additional support to address societal crime.

Tourism authorities in the country have said that the security seminar forms part of plans to try and proactively reduce the “internal and external” threats facing the country’s scattered array of island resorts.  This is seen as increasingly important amidst growing concerns over industry preparedness for potential criminal attacks.

President Mohamed Nasheed opened the security seminar yesterday calling for the travel industry and authorities to not just focus on immediate solutions to protect resort customers and staff, but also to address the perceived root causes of national crime.  Limited jobs and education opportunities for young people were highlighted by Nasheed as examples of the potential problems needed to be faced in Maldivian society to alleviate some of the causes of crime.

Police authorities have told Minivan News that the exact changes to be implemented as a result of the two-day security seminar could not be detailed yet as consultations between different authorities and organisations were ongoing.

President Nasheed said at the inauguration of the seminar that two prominent incidences of intrusion at properties such as Kihaadhuffaru resort and Baros Island Resort and Spa this year alone highlighted the “magnitude” of the threats facing the country.

While accepting that the tourism industry and the government could protect resorts against future intrusions by heightening security though measures such as introducing barriers, Nasheed claimed that there are wider social problems that also needed to be addressed.

Along with outlining new security measures, Nasheed used his speech to call on the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, industry insiders, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and law enforcement authorities to include plans to try and combat societal issues such as gang violence, theft and drug abuse that he linked with the “unemployed, uneducated and disenfranchised youth in the country”.

Nasheed claimed that these concerns were the root cause of the problems facing the resort industry in combating criminal threats.

The president’s claims echoed concerns raised by the tourism industry last week by groups like the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), which called for immediate measures to address the potential threats of gang crime, piracy and terrorism at resorts.  The association said that it did accept that a relatively low number of security breaches that have occurred so far.

MATATO Secretary General Mohamed Maleeh Jamal nonetheless said that the entire industry would need to face up to addressing preparatory measures for resort security as it outlines a fourth tourism master plan that will cover the sector’s work from 2012 onwards. The current masterplan is said to relate to vital initiatives to develop the country’s travel industry from 2007 up until this year.

“We fear there is a big challenge ahead related to security,” said Jamal at the time.

Dr Mariyam Zulfa, Maldivian Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, also told Minivan News that she believed that rising levels of national crime and violence were beginning to impact the country’s secluded resort business. The Maldives tourism industry has this year witnessed a number of isolated criminal incidents at its resorts culminating last month in an attempted robbery at Baros Island Resort and Spa and the death of one of the alleged attackers.

Zulfa claimed that in the interests of trying to proactively protect the industry, authorities had been “working for some time” on developing new measures to protect resorts and bolster existing security systems that are in place in the country.

The tourism minister added the government alone could not handle the entire burden of dealing with security challenges alone.  She claimed though that various stakeholders – from resort companies to airport operators – had so far been very cooperative in trying to ensure they were not “easy” potential targets for criminal attacks.

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Hyatt Hotels enters Maldives resort market

International hospitality group the Hyatt Hotels Corporation has this month entered the Maldives tourist market for the first time with the rebranding of a resort property on Hadahaa Island in Gaafu Alifu Atoll under its name.

The company has said that as of April 1 this year, an affiliate of the company had entered into an agreement with Driftwood Maldives Private Ltd to operate the resort as the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa.

According to the resort’s operators, since opening back in 2009 as Alila Villas Hadahaa, the property has the been first destination in the country to work towards Earth Check certification standards that aim to outline more sustainable practices for hospitality groups.

Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa contains 50 villas replete with private decks, as well as boasting bedrooms with living areas.  The company has claimed that 14 of these properties are also situated directly over the country’s much lauded-waters.

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MATATO calls for reviews of resort security

Bolstering security at the lucrative island resorts scattered across the Maldives poses an urgent challenge for government and industry amidst growing national and international crime, the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour operators (MATATO) has claimed.

Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, Secretary General for MATATO, said today that despite a relatively low number of security breaches at the country’s resorts, wider societal issues such as gang crime, piracy and terrorism needed to be hastily addressed by tourism operators and authorities.

The concerns echoed recent comments made to the media by Dr Mariyam Zulfa, Maldivian Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, over fears that rising levels of national crime are beginning to impact the country’s secluded resort business. The tourism industry has this year witnessed a number of isolated criminal incidents at the country’s resorts culminating last week in an attempted robbery at Baros Island Resort and Spa, and the death of one of the attackers.

The Tourism Minister said that while the industry had been working to be proactive in recent weeks to outline new measures alongside police and private companies that are designed to strengthen security against a number of potential “internal and external” threats, the recent robberies and reported presence of piracy in Maldivian waters has made addressing these issues more urgent.

Responding to the Tourism Minister’s concerns, Jamal said that the entire industry would need to face up to addressing preparatory measures for resort security as it outlines a fourth tourism master plan that will cover the tourist sector’s work from 2012 onwards. The current masterplan is said to relate to vital initiatives to develop the country’s travel industry from 2007 up until this year.

“We fear there is a big challenge ahead related to security,” said Jamal.

The MATATO secretary general added that it would be vital to protect the Maldives’ main tourist selling points such as natural beaches and the peace and security afforded by a policy of providing a single resort per island.

“If we lose just one of these factors the Maldives will lose out as a destination,” he said. “We are a hospitable people and we welcome visitors with a smile and we expect record visitor numbers in the coming years.”

Jamal claimed that the full potential of an expected increase in visitor numbers could be disrupted on the back of continued reports concerning local crimes and regional issues like piracy.

The MATATO secretary general added that the security issues currently being faced were potentially a short-term challenge for the industry to overcome.

“We see the importance of collaborations with the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and police to step up patrols across the country’s islands,” he said.

Jamal additionally stressed that the recent concerns were also related to wider societal issues such as drug abuse across the country inhabited islands that would reacquire a more “holistic” approach to prevent criminals from targeting resort islands, though he added that MATATO would also look to speak with property owners for their own suggestions for dealing with any possible threats.

“We are very fortunate here in the Maldives that the resorts are isolated – although there have been a number of incidents they are well managed by the resorts,” he said. “Yet 99 percent of the country is water, this creates a huge task to manage and police.”

Jamal was confident that the Maldives’ tourism industry had in the intervening decades since its inception proved to be capable to adapting in the interests of security as well as profitability; from moving towards the use of supposedly safer sea plane transportation rather than helicopters, or adopting en mass more efficient fire safety procedures in the 1990’s.

“In the past we thought that it may natural disasters that would be are biggest challenge, yet in terms of adaption, although terror threats may not be immediate, more preventative measures need to be in place,” he claimed.

Jamal claimed that despite potential concerns from the presence in neighbouring waters of Somali pirates – whose suspected presence in the Maldives has yet to lead to any attacks – the number of the threats at present facing the industry had remained limited.

Ministerial concerns

After announcing concerns to the media this week about the possible impact criminal activity could have on tourism in the Maldives, Dr Zulfa told Minivan News today that she was referring particularly to the proportional rise in crime and gang behavior in society rather than the tourism industry alone.

However, the tourism minister herself accepted that recent reports of attempted robbery at Baros and a violent theft at Kihaadhuffaru resort in January this year, as well as the potential in the future for attacks from piracy and terrorists had brought an additional sense of “urgency” to addressing security issues.

She added that extensive discussions on the issues of security and safety would form the basis of meetings scheduled between the tourism industry and security officials next month (April 6 to 7).

“The [crime] issue is of a serious concern to me, though is proportional to what happens in the country at large rather than resorts alone,” she said.

Zulfa claimed that in the interests of trying to be proactive in protecting security, the country had been “working for some time” on developing new measures to protect resorts and bolster existing security systems that are in place in the country.

The tourism minister added that ultimately, the government alone could not handle the entire burden of dealing with security challenges and that various stakeholders – from resort companies to airport operators – had so far been very cooperative in trying to ensure they were not “easy” potential targets for criminal attacks.

“As industry representatives we will all be getting together on the April 6 and 7 to have extensive discussions with police and security authorities to address these urgent issues,” she said. “Papers have been earmarked looking at a number of issues including internal and external threats as well as public safety in areas such as watersports and resort design.

Taking the example of safety, Zulfa took the example of large resorts where people might be more isolated and ensuring that mechanisms were in place to ensure guests and staff were able to be assisted efficiently and quickly.

“We are looking to be proactive and have been wanting to do this [outline amended security and safety policies] for some weeks,” she said.

Not all stakeholders within the tourism industry have shared concerns over security though.

Workers’ perspective

Maroof Zakir, Vice President of the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM), told Minivan News that although it had not been consulted on the amendments to security in the Maldives, it had not received any complaints from its members concerning fears about safety or security.

“We haven’t had any complaints about security fears from our members, I would say this is not a big problem for resort staff at present,” he added.

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Staff strike at Conrad Rangali Island Resort

Management at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort have confirmed that a “number” of it staff have resorted to strike action at the site over alleged disputes with management.

Minivan News understands that Maldives tourism authorities have sent a team to the site to try and resolve the dispute.

In a statement the resort, which is part of the multi-national hospitality group Hilton Worldwide, said that it was working to try and resolve the strikes as quickly as possible, while prioritising the safety and security of employees and guests.

Head of the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM), Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Easa, alleged that some staff at the resort had resorted to the action over concerns about possible discrimination between the earnings of local and expatriate staff.

The resort statement did not confirm any key grievances of staff involved in the strike action.  The company did claim though that all its employees, or “team members” as they are known, received equal service charge payments, along with being offered the fourth highest service charge allocations of resorts operating in the country and various staff amenities including a gym and recreation areas.

Easa said that he believed that the Conrad resort was widely considered a “beautiful” property with a very good management that took care of its staff.  However, he claimed that some staff at the resort were contending that there was an issue of discrimination relating to staff earnings based on nationality. He conceded he did not yet have full details of the strike action.

“From what I understand, the issue has been created by the resort’s general manager not communicating with staff over concerns about discrimination between European and Maldivian staff,” he said.

TEAM said it was therefore calling on the workers involved with the strikes to sit down and find an amicable resolution to potential concerns held by both parties and try to establish any truth in these grievances.

Easa said there had been claims from staff that Maldivian workers had been receiving different salary rates and accommodation standards when compared to their European counterparts.  He added that there were also criticisms that local workers’  services charge payments were being split unevenly on similar grounds.

The TEAM president said that he would therefore look to clarify the current allegations concerning employers striking at the resort and what action could possibly be taken in regards to resolving the dispute.

“We hope that the company will meet with both sides and not just listen to senior management before deciding if the allegations are true or false,” he said.  “However, if employees are wrong in their accusations, we will say they are wrong. Both the employer and the employee have rights under the Maldives constitution.”

In its statement, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island rejected claims that service charges were kept by the property itself or undistributed unevenly, adding that management were proud with the level of staff satisfaction in its annual team member survey.

“The resort has a sector-leading reputation for our team member training programmes. We offer opportunities for promotion and career advancement and wherever possible recruit from within,” the company stated.  “We also have a highly developed employee representation structure to ensure all employees can express their points of view to the management team.”

The statement claimed additionally that management at the site constantly sought to review rates of pay in order to make adjustments based on “current market conditions” for its staff, which are made up of 70 percent Maldivian workers and 30 percent of expatriates from 25 different countries.

“In addition to the service charge allocation, team members receive a range of additional benefits including access to a team member soccer pitch, some of the best team member accommodation in the Maldives, a recreation area, gym, internet café and regular team sporting and social activities,” the statement said.

Back in November, a bill was passed to the Majlis’ National Security Committee concerning possible amendments to regulations for industrial action at the country’s resort properties

The bill was initially passed to pariliament in August by the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) in attempts to try and curb strikes such as those seen last year at Kurumba resort that reduced occupancy rates to zero for a period.

Parliamentary debate over the bill has seen both fierce opposition and support from figures across the tourism industry, who have argued that current unregulated strike action is detrimental to travel income.

Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) Sim Mohamed Ibrahim, said at the time of the debates that that the organisation was not looking to prevent strikes.

However, Ibrahim added that the association was looking to prevent strikes from taking place directly on private resort property.

“No striking on the resort is a fundamental right of the owner,” he said. “You don’t strike on the shop floor.”

An resort employee told newspaper Haveeru that staff were protesting in the staff recreation area “in such a way that it would not cause any disturbance to the tourists.”

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Etihad Airways to launch daily flights Male’-Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways has said it will launch daily return flights between Male’ and Abu Dhabi from November 1, using Airbus A320 aircraft.

The airline’s Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said that strong visitor numbers in the premium resort destination had prompted the airline to introduce the new route, subject to government approval, to coincide with the start of the busy European winter season.

“We expect the services will appeal to UAE leisure travellers, as well as customers from our major European markets, particularly with the strong connectivity options on offer and following the additional frequencies that will come online on a number of our key European routes this summer,” he said.

Overnight flights in both directions would allow travellers an extra day in the Maldives, he said.

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President appoints ministers after parliament approves four out of five ministerial appointees

President Mohamed Nasheed has appointed State Minister Ahmed Naseem as Foreign Minister and Solicitor General Abdulla Muizz as Attorney General hours after parliament approved four out of five ministerial appointees.

Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam had been acting Foreign Minister after parliament rejected the reappointment of former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed in November.

The new Ministers were sworn in by High Court Judge Yousuf Hussein. After presenting letters of appointment, Nasheed expressed confidence that the newest additions to the cabinet would receive parliamentary consent.

Earlier in the day, parliament approved four out of five ministerial appointees, rejecting the reappointment of Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad for a second time.

Dr Sawad received 36 votes in favour and 37 against from the 73 MPs in attendance.

Home Minister Hassan Afeef and Transport Minister Adhil Saleem were narrowly approved in spite of the fractured main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) declaring that it would impose a three-line whip to reject the two nominees.

Afeef and Saleem were approved after a few independent MPs along with Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed and Republican Party MP Gasim Ibrahim sided with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) – Saleem was approved with 39 votes in favour while Afeef received 37 votes from the 73 MPs present and voting.

Briefing press after yesterday’s DRP parliamentary group meeting, Majority Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali noted that Sawad had already been rejected once while Afeef “acted outside the law” during the transfer of powers to the newly elected local councils.

Thasmeen however announced that the party would give consent to Education Minister Shifa Mohamed and Tourism Minister Dr Mariyam Zulfa.

Shifa was approved with 66 votes in favour and six against while Dr Zulfa received 71 votes in favour and none against.

“Secret meeting”

Addressing accusations from the opposing DRP faction that Thasmeen secretly met President Nasheed over the weekend at Raa Atoll, the DRP Leader asserted that he was ready to meet the President at any time.

“Even if [the President] calls and asks for a meeting at [Raa Atoll] Alimatha tonight, I will go because he is the President of the Maldives,” Thasmeen told reporters outside parliament yesterday, attributing the allegations of collusion with the ruling party to an internal campaign to discredit his leadership.

“In truth, they are talking about this because they don’t have any other way to responsibly carry out political activities,” he claimed.

However, asked if the alleged meeting took place, Thasmeen replied “thank you very much” and walked away.

In November 2010, parliament rejected seven ministers reappointed by President Nasheed after the entire cabinet resigned in protest of alleged obstruction and vote-buying in the legislature.

President Nasheed appointed then-Political Advisor Hassan Afeef as Home Minister in December, replacing Mohamed Shihab, who was appointed Advisor on Political Affairs.

Shifa Mohamed was meanwhile promoted from Deputy Minister of Education to Minister in place of Dr Musthafa Luthfy, recently appointed Chancellor of the Maldives National University.

Both Afeef and Shifa were appointed on December 11 while AG Sawad was reappointed two days later.

Transport Minister Adil Saleem and Tourism Minister Dr Mariyam Zulfa took their oaths of office on November 7, 2010.

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Donald Trump reportedly among investors looking at Olialia’s ‘Island of Blondes’

Olialia, the Lithuanian company planning to operate a resort in the Maldives exclusively staffed by blondes, claims to have shortlisted a handful of islands in the country to house its proposed platinum paradise as the group now faces the challenge of making the project a reality in a strictly Islamic nation.

Olialia executives traveled to Cannes in France last week to present the island of blondes concept to entrepreneurs at the concept during the Marché International des Professionnels d’Immobilier (MIPIM) 2011 real estate trade show.

Brand Manager Giedre Pukiene has claimed talks were held with 10 to 12 potential investors for the project as it finalises plans for its venture in the Maldives, including representatives of US property tycoon Donald Trump.

“All buildings will reflect the blondes’ spirit and world-view. Hotels, restaurants and service centres services will be provided by the best known world’s companies; we will soon start accepting applications,” stated Pukiene.

Olialia uses attractive blonde women to market an entire business empire including airliners, soft drinks, dairy products and publishing, under the adage that blondes not only have more fun, but also make more money for stockholders. It has now set its sights on operating a resort in the Maldives by 2015, run by its trademark platinum-topped staff.

As news of the “island of blondes” project has spread, the potential resort development has raised huge interest, and perhaps a few eyebrows, across international media – not to mention the local population, who are invariably dark-haired.

Speaking to Minivan News, the resort’s Project Manager Vilte Zukauskaite insisted that any concerns over the viability of a staff system based on hair colour in a country where labour laws require at least 50 percent employment of locals, would be overcome by Olialia and its partners.

This was an issue that could be dealt with practically, according to Zukauskaite.

“The resort is not so much a ‘blonde concept’ – although all the staff will be blonde, we will not necessarily make them wear wigs,” she said. “Non-blonde hair has to not be visible. So male staff could shave their heads. Hats or scarves that cover the head could also be worn.”

Tourist heads in the Maldives have confirmed that talks had been held with representatives from the blonde-focused company, and that proposals would be considered based on the effectiveness of the business plan, rather than its target audience or marketing.

However, the country’s Ministry of Arts, Tourism and Culture did stress that work laws requiring 50 percent local employment could be problematic.

But Zukauskaite explained that there were also opportunities for more ‘behind the scenes’ and less-visible roles for staff on the island that would allow the company to navigate legal requirements to ensure local staff were given opportunities at the site.

Zukauskaite said the company was now moving to finalise the company’s plans, and had identified “three or four” existing properties that could be bought and re-branded by the Lithuanian firm.

“At the moment the company is deciding on three options to develop the island; these included purchasing a virgin – undeveloped – mass of land, buy an existing resort and rebrand it, or create a man-made structure (such as a previously revealed high-heeled shoe design).

Photos of the proposed shoe development was met with consternation from several marine biologists working in the Maldives.

“I don’t know if I should laugh about it or cry about the degradation of human species,” said one, after seeing the images.

Zukauskaite said that while Olialia was yet to confirm its plans officially, “we believe the best and fastest route to getting the island would be re-branding an existing hotel,” she said.

Zukauskaite claimed that the “Island of Blondes” had been designed to be a unique business model, both on an international basis, as well as in the Maldives, where she claimed the focus on high-profile entertainment and cultural activities was limited.

The resort would develop many optional entertainment opportunities for its guests, Zukauskaite said, with plans for the resort to hold gallery exhibitions and performances from major international artists that she said would help spread the Maldives’ reputation as a luxury destination worldwide.

However, the project manager said that the ‘blonde-only’ policy for staff would not always dictate the type of acts performing there, and “formerly-blonde” superstars “such as Sting and Rod Stewart” would be free to perform on the island.

“Perhaps blonde can become grayer for a few days,” she added.

The Maldives’ tourism industry has always existed parallel to the country’s conservative and religious society, with the latter generally kept separate from the lucrative resort island business. Zukauskaite downplayed potential concerns that the blonde island could be seen by locals as an inappropriate development in the country. Like all of the country’s resorts, the “Island of Blondes” would be very separate from the legal and cultural regulations adopted on the country’s inhabited islands.

“It is a resort island, we’re not building it in Male’,” she said.

Olialia would, she said, act with respect for local traditions, and that she did not believe that local cultural traditions were a barrier.

“We shouldn’t call this a problem, we aim to treat the Maldives with all due respect,” she added.

Zukauskaite said that the company had already begun consulting with officials in the country and that it would be working alongside the owners of the resort it eventually picked to develop the “Island of Blondes” as its local partner.

Dr Mariyam Zulfa, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, confirmed that she had held some meetings with representatives from Olialia about the project, but said that she had not been made aware of their more recent plans.

Like any tourism project bought to the Maldives, Dr Zulfa said the company would be required to ensure it met its obligations under the laws and regulations outlined by the labour, tourism and environmental ministries.

When asked by Minivan News if there were potential concerns that the Island of Blondes project would potentially offend local sensitivities, she responded that this was a media supposition and that the ministry was not in a position to dictate how companies marketed their products.

“The government has no role in determining the parameters of companies looking to invest in the Maldives,” she said. “If it is a good project with a viable business model we will welcome it. The only possible difficulty is that the local population are not blonde.”

Dr Zulfa suggested that this difficulty was an issue of uniform, and that had been addressed at a number of tourism properties.

If Olilia’s resort development eventually moves forward, Zukauskaite said the world would be hearing a lot more from the “Island of blondes” with an upcoming reality show set to be filmed from the island once construction was underway.

“The main aim we wanted to achieve in Cannes was to create a huge buzz for the project,” she added. “I think we have done that.”

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Analyst spies Maldivian room occupancy turnaround

Room occupancy within the Maldives was found to have risen by 17 percent last year compared to figures recorded in 2009, representing a solid turnaround from the “poor market conditions” of two years ago, data analyst STR Global has said.

Based on figures supplied by the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the analyst said that the number of tourist rooms being filled in the country last year was said to be down by only 0.7 percent on 2008, where conditions were not yet impacted by global economic uncertainty.

Demand from European tourist remained the key driver for market growth, with the STR Global findings claiming that 63.5 percent of tourist arrivals between January to November last year were from the region; the findings were based on official tourism figures.

According to the analyst, in terms of calculating the average daily rate – used to record sales of available room rates – increased occupancy numbers were not thought to have yet helped sales catch up on 2008 and 2009 levels.

In local currency terms, the average daily rate was found to be down by 17 percent on 2009 and 26.8 percent when compared to 2008.

However, STR Global Managing Director Elizabeth Randall, claimed that an apparent gradual slowdown in growing room supply in the country was expected to help strengthen demand.

“In the long run, this will give hoteliers the chance to improve rates,” she stated.

The findings were said to be based on the performance of 25 properties within the Maldives.

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Mid-market appeal amongst 2011 tourism challenges

As a growing number of Asian markets like India begin flocking to the Maldives for their holiday escapes, the country’s tourism minister believes the government’s goal of providing more middle-market beds to “compliment” premium resort properties will boost the industry in the long run.

As the country continues to look at potential revamps for how it markets itself in the tourism market, Dr Mariyam Zulfa, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, told Minivan News that the Maldives risked being seen as a destination with “too many” premium beds.

However, Zulfa said that in looking to diversify towards more mid-market tourism, the issue of replacing the country’s current “Sunny Side of Life” ad slogan remained under industry consultation – including over whether it should be changed at all.

Zulfa’s comments were made as new findings published by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Nielsen Company found the Maldives was among several destinations like China, Indonesia and Bangladesh to be attracting increasing interest from Indian travellers.

“The diversification in destinations indicates a greater sense of adventurism and discovery that should be heartening for tourism as a whole, and a clear symptom of a confident Indian consumer mimicking their country’s confidence and prominence,” Neilson Company Executive Director Surekha Poddar stated in the report.

“The Indian traveller is set to become a prized possession as potential spending power and disposition to travel to new countries increases.”

Zulfa said that with income levels in nations like China and India growing in general on a daily basis, the Maldives was beginning to see “exponential growth” in the number of visitors from both of these markets.

“The government has introduced a mid-market policy focusing on three to four star resorts,” she said. “These are being introduced to complement the premium beds we have here.”

Although not willing to speculate if these tourism developments were directly related, Zulfa said that more middle market properties was seen as a move that would be cater to a changing customer demographic.

“Premium beds alone are not suitable for visitors from the South of Asia. We need to look at how to reach out to them,” she said. “These tourists have very different vacation habits to more established markets like Europe.”

Slogan talks

Zulfa claimed that opinion was currently divided on the direction to take on marketing the Maldives to travellers around the world, particularly the merits of changing “the sunny side of life” slogan – one that has been in service for eleven years.

“We will be having informal discussions whilst we will be at the Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) – a tourism trade show being held between March 9-13 in Berlin,” she said. “Right now, we have two levels of feedback, one of which is that it [still] works.”

Zulfa added that if a decision was taken to keep the slogan, it would perhaps need to be reintegrated or redesigned with a “more modern” aesthetic.

“There is another reasoning that suggests that although the wording is OK, it is too general,” she said. “The slogan is now 11 years old and perhaps to fill the premium beds we have, a new slogan may be needed to reinvigorate the market. This will be discussed during consultations at the ITB.”

Zulfa said that work was nonetheless continuing on a Maldivian marketing strategy despite uncertainty on the final product.

Mohamed ‘Sim’ Ibrahim, Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), said that MATI did not itself have an opinion on the final outcome of any possible slogan revamp. However, Ibrahim said that MATI hoped to see greater study and research into what the industry itself would prefer to see in terms of branding and marketing.

“We don’t think enough is being done, [in terms of studying the slogan issue],” he said. “We would like to see more cooperation from resorts, airlines, travel companies and other major stakeholders in the Maldives tourism industry.”

From the outset, 2011 is proving to be a year of change for Maldivian tourism, with the implementation of Tourism Goods and Services Tax (GST) on January 1 that placed an additional charge of 3.5 percent on a host of services supplied by the travel industry.

Mohamed said that although he believed that adoption of the GST among service operators had gone “smoothly”, MATI held “serious issues” with the tax related to payments and other technical issues.

The MATI secretary general said he was unable to provide more details about the concerns at present, but added that the association was looking to hold a meeting with resort chains over the issues.

Zulfa claimed that the implementation of the GST had so far gone well for the industry, with no major complaints received concerning the charges.

“Most operators in the tourism industry agree that the 3.5 percent GST is a very reasonable amount to pay,” she said.

“This is a way that more people can equitably benefit from tourism.”

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