‘Perfect destination for MICE events’

Maldives, the archipelagic state in South Asia that lies southwest of India and Sri Lanka, has forever been on the ‘must-visit’ list of most global travellers, especially Indians. Little wonder then that the Asian nation is leading as the top market for tourism in the Maldives, accounting for over 14 per cent, with Russia (12.3 per cent) placed second and the United Kingdom (10.9 per cent) taking the third position in terms of arrivals as on November 9, 2022. Other top markets include Germany, Italy, USA, France, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland.

In 2022, Maldives experienced a boom in terms of tourist arrival and as of October 27, 2022, the total number of tourists visiting the Maldives had surpassed that of the entire year 2021. “According to the Maldives Tourism Board, the country has welcomed a total of 13,88,044 tourists so far in the Golden Jubilee Year of Tourism compared to the 1055,924 arrivals recorded last year for the same period. A huge increase of 31.5 per cent in terms of overall tourist arrivals,” shares Althaf Mohamed Ali, Chief Operating Officer, Pulse Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality group that owns Kandima Maldives Island Resort. 

Ali, an alumni of Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development, began his career with The Oberoi Hotels Group, spending the first 10 years of his hospitality career with them. Since then, during his 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ali had led a wide spectrum of strategic management responsibilities including group operational roles, which are his core areas of expertise.

“Whether you seek relaxation, aquatic and island adventures, wellbeing, fitness or family time, the Island Resort with a 264-room inventory, varying from studios to villas and suites equipped with cutting-edge technology, has something for everyone. With one of the longest outdoor pools in the Maldives, football pitch, tennis and volleyball courts, aquaholics water sports and dive centre, and its own art studio and many more facilities, there is plenty to keep everyone occupied,” he says, adding that Kandima Maldives is positioned as an affordable game-changing lifestyle desti(nation) for everyone. 

Making a difference

On how has he set the property differently in comparison to other competing brands and what makes the property standout, Pulse Hotels & Resorts’ CEO says that since the hospitality industry in the Maldives is based on the “One Island, One Resort” concept, guests may feel confined and find limited options in terms of dining and activities, “but our island resort is 3.2 km long which means there is plenty of space to play. With a multitude of experiences in addition to 10 dining options inclusive of three superb à la carte restaurants, guests are spoilt for choice while at the same time feeling a sense of seclusion. Having one of the biggest Kids Club in the Maldives, a football pitch, tennis and volleyball courts, a dive and water sports centre, an award-winning spa, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, extensive medical clinic inclusive of a decompression chamber, our own art studio, daily live night entertainment and many more facilities, there is plenty to keep everyone occupied,” he informs. On the anvil is an anything-but-ordinary teenager club, featuring the only state-of-the art bowling centre and VR experience studio, an adventure park with adrenaline-pumping go-kart-rides, zip-line, mini golf to many more exciting experiences.

Even though the property gets a fair share of domestic guests, Kandima’s main market has primarily been international travellers. “Maldives, being one of the few destinations which were open for travel during the pandemic, has experienced a boom in international travel. However, due to global economic uncertainty, we have to be more mindful on our steps forward to design the best strategy for each market. We know from our partners in the Indian market that companies are planning their budgets more tightly and are looking for great offers. They are focussing on value for money through discounts or planning their trip in advance in the hope of getting a better deal. With this in mind, Kandima offers great affordable accommodation options with its Beach & Sky Studios and its generous Dine Around All Inclusive option,” says Ali. India, he shares, is one of their Top 10 source markets with approximately 7.5 per cent of the total annual room night production. “We promote Kandima Maldives through joint marketing activities with contracted tour operator partners,” he adds. 

Travel trends

As the travel trend is actively moving towards more of last-minute bookings, Ali says that they try their best to accommodate those through a lot of flexibility with promotions as well as terms and conditions. “We are observing a shift away from traditional honeymoon bookings into more vacations with the whole family as well as groups of friends travelling together. For families, we are offering a special promotion for up to two kids under 12 years that can stay for free when sharing the room with parents (except transfers and green tax); for groups of friends that travel together, we offer our studios as lead-in room categories in combination with the sheer endless activities and entertainment on offer at Kandima Maldives,” he says.

After years of home office and endless Zoom calls, the focus will be on leisure component and bringing people together, opines Ali, adding, “We see companies looking for more opportunities to build strong teams by combining business travel with recreational time. Kandima is the perfect place for MICE events and since the focus is on relationship building rather than work, companies can book themed MICE stays such as ‘Adventure’ with aquatic activities and experiences, ‘Back To Nature’ with island life and traditional Maldivian experiences, ‘Healthy Eating’ with communal cooking group workshops and ‘Fitness’ related MICE escapes in 2023,” shares the CEO.

Talking about the split of guest arrivals by nationality for bookings, Ali says that the top nationalities are the UK, Russia, Germany, South Africa and the Middle East, followed by India as well as CIS and European countries. “The length of stay depends on where the guests are coming from and would range between four-five nights from India and the Middle East and 7-12 nights and longer from the UK, Germany and the rest of Europe,” he says.