After the success of its inaugural Australian roadshow last year, the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board is coming back for a new series of trade events with its Australian marketing representative, The Unique Tourism Collection.

UTC Managing Director Jonica Paramor said last year’s roadshow had sparked a surge of trade and consumer interest that the MTPB hoped to build upon by showcasing the latest developments from among the archipelago’s spectacular resorts and breath-taking lagoons.

“The number of Australians visiting the Maldives was up 35 per cent in 2006 and we’re on track for another big increase in 2007, with this year’s first quarter up more than 90 per cent over the same period last year,” Ms Paramor said. “The MTPB is delighted with the response to its new presence in Australia and is keen to support the travel trade further with events like our upcoming roadshow.”

Visiting Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, the Maldives Roadshow will bring a team of top suppliers and wholesalers to spread the word on the destination, its airlines, resorts, activities and unforgettable experiences.

Travel agents who attend will boost their product knowledge, gain confidence in selling the destination and have a chance to win some sensational Maldives holiday prizes.

“All around the world, the Maldives are hot right now, especially with jetsetters from New York and Paris,” Ms Paramor said. “Yet for Australians the Maldives are only a relatively short hop into the Indian Ocean.”

The Maldives Roadshows will be held from 5.30pm to 8pm in:

• Perth, May 31, Frasers Restaurant, Kings Park
• Sydney, June 4, L’Aqua, Cockle Bay Wharf
• Melbourne, June 6, Carousel, Albert Park.

Places are limited. Please RSVP by May 11 to the Unique Tourism Collection on 02 9211 6590 or register online at www.uniquetourism.com/maldives

Roadshow partners will include Sun Travel and Tours, Lets Go Maldives, Taj Maldives, Per Aquum (Huvanfen Fushi resort), AAA Hotels and Resorts and Naiade Resorts White Sands.

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A speed boat carrying passengers from Olhuveli Beach Resort to Malé International Airport caught fire shortly after its departure from the resort this morning.

There were a total of 21 passengers on board the vessel when this unfortunate accident happened. Although there were no fatalities, 11 of the passengers are currently being treated at ADK Hospital in Malé for varying degrees of burns.

Those undergoing treatment include 7 tourists – 5 from the United Kingdom and 2 from Austria.

The fire was controlled by Coast Guard Harbour Patrols of the Maldives National Defense Force not too long after the start of the fire. However the speed boat is reported to have been badly damaged.

The Maldives Police Service is currently investigating the accident.

Dubai: The Maldives hopes to achieve pre-tsunami tourist numbers this year as it searches for new markets for attracting holidaymakers.

The December 2004 tsunami had a devastating effect on the country, slashing its tourist arrivals from 616,716 in 2004 to 395,320 last year.

“Our aim this year is to have about the same number of foreign tourists as we had in 2004,” Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) assistant director Mohammad Adam told Gulf News.

The idyllic holiday destination in the Indian Ocean receives only a small number of Arab tourists from the Gulf region. Last year 290 Kuwaitis and 691 Saudis visited the Maldives compared with 573 and 1,872 respectively before the tsunami.

35 islands

“We get a significant number of expatriates from the Gulf, but the number of citizens is very small. We are trying to get more Arab tourists,” Adam said.

During a recent tourism promotion campaign in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Maldives announced that it would offer 35 islands to investors for developing resorts.

A total of 1,190 islands make up the Maldives and 202 of these are uninhabited. More than one-third of its 360,000 citizens live in the capital Male. A large number of islands serve as tourist spots and host self-contained resorts.

According to MTPB, occupancy in hotels and resorts between January and April touched 94 per cent compared with 85 per cent average occupancy in 2004 and 64 per cent in 2005.

The tsunami destroyed 21 resorts out of 87. Most of these resorts have been rebuilt and the government has launched plans to build new resorts on the uninhabited islands. The cost of developing the 35 resorts is estimated at $600 million. Ten of these resorts will cater to the high-end market, 10 will serve the low-budget travellers and 15 in various other categories will be developed by the Maldivian government.

“There is a demand for more capacity, that is why we have launched these developments. We have made a good recovery,” Adam said.

During the January-April period the Maldives recorded 182,758 tourist arrivals, compared with 39,179 for the same period last year.

The Maldives had a capacity of 16,000 beds, which dropped by 3,886 after the tsunami.

Source: Gulf News

New Delhi, 17 April. India and Maldives have decided to develop “a privileged partnership” between the two countries.

Addressing a joint press conference with the Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmad Shaheed in Male a short while before departing for home at the end of his two-day visit to the Island country yesterday, the Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that India would like “to maintain and consolidate its close links and trust with Maldives and to be of assistance, wherever and whenever we can, with our friends”.

Describing Maldives as an important member and partner of the Indian Ocean Region,Mukherjee said that India’s mutually beneficial relationship with the Republic of Maldives will not only secure its vital interests in the region, but also reinvigorate our ties with a key member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He reiterated New Delhi’s desire to strengthen relations with Maldives “on the basis of equality and respect so as to elevate them to an ever high level”.

Earlier, in the day, India handed over the INS Tillanchang to the Maldives National Security Service Coast Guard at an impressive ceremony held in the port city of Male – the capital of Maldives. With a gentle breeze blowing from the Indian Ocean, on an otherwise sultry morning, the Indian ensign was hauled down for the last time from INS Tillanchang. The Indian crew disembarked from the ship and the Maldivian crew took charge.

The Maldivian National flag was hauled up and the ship was rechristened “Huravee” after a Maldivian hero and a freedom fighter. A galaxy of dignitaries of Maldives including the President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Minister of Defence and National Security Mr Ismail Shaifeeu, Foreign Minister Dr Ahmad Shaheed attend the ceremony.

The Indian side was led by the Defence Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Others who attended the function included the Indian High Commissioner Shri AK Pande, Chairman and Managing Director of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Rear Admiral TS Ganeshan, senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and Indian Navy. Speaking on the occasion Shri Mukherjee described the event as a “truly landmark and historic one” and announced that the Indian Navy will assist the National Security Service in the maintenance and up keep of this patrol craft during her lifetime.

Named after one of the islands of the Andaman and Nicobar chain, the INS Tillanchang, built by Defence Public Sector Undertaking, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata was inducted into the Indian Navy five years ago. The 260 tonne Trinkat class fast attack craft INS Tillanchang is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation aids, communication and GMDSS Systems, which facilitate her role-worthiness and effectiveness in operational missions, air operations, safe navigation and survival at sea. The main armament is the indigenous 30 mm gun, manufactured by Ordnance factory Medak. Two high speed boats have been provided onboard for facilitating rapid interception in shallow waters and lifesaving tasks. Powered by MTU engines of German make it has a maximum speeds of 28 knots and is capable of extended deployment up to 2000 nautical miles. The ship is also capable of mobilizing a naval Quick Reaction Team of up to 35 men at short notice.

The ship will primarily be used for patrolling, policing and search and rescue missions in the vast areas of sea around Maldivian chain of islands, considerably enhancing their capability against illegal poaching and drug trafficking.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Defence and National Security of Maldives Mr. Ismail Shaifeeu lauded the role of Indian government in dispatching ships with relief supplies with “promptness and alacrity” to provide immediate succour to the affected people in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami in December 2004. ‘The role of the Indian Government in launching Operation Cactus in December 1988 was a defining moment in the relationship between the two countries and a landmark event in the history of their nation’, he said.

Later in the day, Mukherjee called on the President of Maldives and held high level interactions with the Defence and Foreign Minister of Maldives.