Maldives extended a warm welcome to the 750,000th visitor to the country today. British citizen, Mrs. Daniela Ruth Selig arrived Maldives this morning by British Airways flight which landed at 0920hrs.

Mrs. Selig clocked the 750,000th visitor mark at the immigration counter where she was met by the officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture and the Maldives Tourism promotion Board and were presented with a beautiful flower bouquet and sash. Mrs. Selig arrived in the Maldives with her husband and two children. They were escorted with a warm welcome procession of traditional Boduberu beats and dance from the arrival terminal up to the VIP lounge where they were warmly welcomed by The Minister of State for Tourism, Arts & Culture Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed together with the senior officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, The Maldives Tourism Promotion Board and representatives of the Tourism Industry of Maldives.

At the VIP lounge, Mrs. Selig was presented with a gift and a special letter from the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture extending a warm welcome and offering a special holiday package for two in the Maldives within the coming year.

UK is one of the biggest generating market to the Maldives with a total of 95,586 arrivals to the Maldives from January to October. This is an increase of 9.4% compared to the same period of 2009. The 750,000th visitor being a British citizen is thought to create more interest and publicity to the destination especially amongst the British consumers.
Mrs. Selig is spending her holiday at Anantara Digu with her family. This is her second holiday in the Maldives.

Maldives has been listed as the World’s Most Romantic Destination in the World Travel Awards.

The Maldives won the prestigious award for the second time this year by competing Indonesia’s Bali, Hawaii, Mauritius. Nominees in the category include New York, Paris, Seychelles, and Tuscany and Venice in Italy. The Maldives also received the award in 2007.

World Travel Awards also listed Maldives as the Leading Cruise Destination and Honeymoon Destination in the Indian Ocean region.

Maldives was nominated as World’s Leading Beach and Leading Island Destination and to the two awards in the Indian Ocean category. Maldives received the Leading Island Destination award in 2008 and Leading Beach award in 2003.

World’s Leading Water Villas title was awarded to Adaaran Prestige Water Villas, World’s Leading CSR Programme award to Banyan Tree and Leading Luxury Resort Brand award to Six Senses Resorts and Spa. Six Senses runs Soneva Gili and Soneva Fushi in the Maldives.

The island nation of the Maldives celebrates National Pavilion Day today.

An official ceremony was held in the Expo Center this morning. Maldives would showcase the country’s cultural heritage and society to the world via the platform of the Expo, Mahmood Razee, Maldives’ Minister of Economic Development, said at the ceremony.

Mahmood Razee

Shao Qiwei, director of China’s National Tourism Administration, said Chinese and Maldivian people have long-term friendly exchange and he believed visitors would learn more about the country’s modern lifestyle via its exhibition.

The Maldives Pavilion is in the Asia Joint Pavilion I in Zone A.

The pavilion theme is “Maldives, Tomorrow.”

In the past decade, the Maldives has grown into a model of tourism and environmental protection with tourism and fishery as the pillars of its development. It is also a leader in the fight against global warming, since rising waters encroach every year on the small island.

The pavilion showcases the country’s modern life by describing efforts in cultural preservation and environmental protection while developing industries.

Displays include folk art.

Marine resources include tuna, skipjack, lobster, shark and hawksbill sea turtles.

Source: en.expo2010.cn

The Maldives is nominated as an Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination in the Word Travel Awards 2009 announced on Friday, July 31, 2009. Maldives is also a favorite nominee form a number of other categories. 16 Maldivian Resorts/Hotels are nominated from 9 different Indian Ocean Categories, including 7 in the Indian Ocean’s Leading Resort category. In total, The Maldives has 35 nominations in Indian Ocean’s category.

Categories in which Maldives is nominated are:

Only a few weeks remain before voting for these categories close on August 14, 2009. The whole tourism industry awaits the 16th Annual World Gala Ceremony, scheduled to be held at the Grosvenor House, London on November 08, 2009. Voting for this monumental event will commence on August 17, 2009.

Find more about the Maldives.

The Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives Ihuru is celebrating the summer season with a “Summer 3-2-1” promotion which allows guests to stay three nights on full-board and get the third night free. Rates start from US$800++ per night in a Deluxe Beachfront Villa (double occupancy).

The promotion is valid until 31 October 2009. For stays in July, full-board meals will also be included during the complimentary one-night stay, but not in the subsequent months.

Located on the North Malé Atoll just 20 minutes by speedboat from Malé, the capital of the Maldives, and the Malé International Airport, Ihuru is one of the most picturesque islands in the Indian Ocean.

The Angsana Resort & Spa Maldives Ihuru features 25 Beachfront Villas and 20 Deluxe Beachfront Villas each complete with a private garden, a veranda with a Maldivian swing, and an outdoor shower. In addition, each Deluxe Beachfront Villa comes equipped with a private jet pool.

As one of the best dive sites in Maldives, the resort naturally provides a wide variety of sea sports facilities, including a diving school which was awarded the PADI ‘Gold Palm Resort’ certification. Snorkelling is just a step away, as the coral reefs are located a few metres from the beach.

Guests at the Angsana Spa can indulge in soothing treatments that focus on the healing sense of touch and the use of natural ingredients to pamper the body, mind and spirit. Duet, a specially created couple spa package and other tailored male and female spa packages are treats that complement a sunny vacation. The spa treatments are carried out at eight luxurious spa pavilions, two of which are equipped with outdoor jet pools and steam baths.

To tempt the discerning diner, the resort boasts an excellent restaurant, Riveli, offering a marriage of Asian and Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of local flavour. Guests can also opt for a private in-villa barbecue or a romantic dinner for two on a remote sandbank. To end the evening, guests can relax at the Velaavani Bar as they enjoy the cool sea breeze and maybe spot a turtle swimming by in the lagoon.