MALDIVES - opens up 35 new islands

Sep 22-28, 2006, TTG asia

HONG KONG – The Maldives will open up 35 new islands for development in the next two years, adding between 5,000 and 7,000 new beds.

Twenty are small islands which have been leased to resort operators, while the rest will be developed by the government. Upcoming new hotels include a W Hotel on Fesdu Island and a Shangri-La on Gan Island due open next month and late-2007 respectively.

Maldives Tourism Promotion Board, assistant director, Mr Mohamed Adam, said: “The upmarket segment remains our key direction, but we are also looking into the budget market. We plan to build and open five budget hotels in early-2008 on Fuahmulah Island. The new properties will have between 100 and 200 beds. Gan Island, a new tourist region in the south, will have 2,000 new beds.”

There are now 19,000 beds and 88 island resorts.

About 70 per cent of foreign arrivals to the Maldives are from Europe, and Mr Mohamed said the board was working towards a better market spread of 40 per cent Europeans and 60 per cent Asian.

“In fact, we are expecting growth of six to seven per cent annually from Asia, and new markets such as China, India, South Africa, Australia and the Middle East will be targeted,” Mr Mohamed added.

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