Maldives has yet again won another prestigious award, the Daily Telegraph’s Ultratravel Award for Best Holiday Destination Worldwide.

The ULTRAs (Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards), celebrating the best in luxury travel across the globe, were announced at a ceremony held at InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel on 9th of May 2007. On behalf of the tourism industry of the Maldives the award was received by High Commissioner of Maldives to UK and Northern Ireland, His Excellency Mr Hassan Sobir.

Ultratravel magazine, published with the Daily Telegraph, was first launched in autumn 2004 and has a circulation of 500,000 readers.

The ULTRA awards were selected based on votes casted by the readers of the UltraTravel magazine over a period of more than 12 months. The ULTRAs consisted, in addition to best holiday destination, the best in airline, airport, tour operator, cruise company, spa, ski resort and hotel.

To win this award Maldives competed with popular destinations such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Thailand.

END.

For further information, please contact:
Vanessa Evans / Natalie Amos
McCluskey International - PR Representative for MTPB in UK
Tel: 0208 237 7979
Email: vanessa@mccluskey.co.uk / natalie@mccluskey.co.uk

DOHA - The Maldives Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) is hoping to attract more visitors from Qatar and other GCC states. At present, GCC nationals to the picturesque islands account for a negligible portion of the country’s tourist inflow.

A presentation was held yesterday at the Movenpick Tower and Suites for city-based travel agents and tour operators to highlight the Maldives as a tourist destination. Among the advantages pointed out were that the islands are a mere four hours away from the region, the population has a high percentage of Muslims and there are no visa restrictions.

According to the Maldives’ Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Dr Mahmood Shougee: “Over the past 30 years, tourism has played a vital role in the sustained development of the Maldives economy. Today, we enjoy high hotel occupancy levels and this is set to continue. The low season of June, July and August is relatively short and this coincides with the high season for outbound travel from the GCC.”

He added; “Our short-term strategy is to continue to encourage new business from the Gulf region by placing greater emphasis on the development of strong relationships with the region’s travel trade. We need to give them the tools to effectively sell the destination.”

Incidentally, Qatar Airways offers five flights a week out of Doha to the Maldives capital Male using Airbus A320 aircraft. However, right now the islands attract more resident expatriates living in the Gulf than GCC nationals.

MTPB deputy director responsible for the Middle East, Mohamed Adam, stated: “Our focus now is to ensure that the travel trade in the GCC understands the Maldives product and how to sell it effectively to both expatriates and GCC nationals resident in the Gulf region.”

Source: The Peninsula

Once again the exotic and magnificent Maldives island’s will host one of the worlds best and most anticipated surf events - the ASP 5 Star Prime rated Maldives presents SriLankan Airlines Pro, running from June 3 through to June 9.

Renowned world wide and attracting the very best surfers from right across the globe, The Sri Lankan Airlines Pro delivers the true essence of the sport to the world with perfect surf, amazing weather and possibly the warmest surfing waters in the world - All this on a paradise island setting where the problems of the world disappear and the sport of surfing takes over!

Elite World Qualifying Series competitor Hira Terinatoofa (Tahiti) commented on the SriLankan Airlines Pro saying “Simply awesome! It’s my favorite event on the world tour. Everybody has fun enjoying fantastic surf and it’s just a wonderful experience. It’s just like my home in Tahiti - surf, sun and fun. A great event for surfing!”

The Maldives Islands is open to the entire Indian Ocean swell window and while great surf is consistent throughout the year, the monsoonal June winds have regularly delivered powerful and excellent surf to this event. Last year’s event saw Pasta Point on the Dhonveli Beach & Spa Resort Island add even more quality to the options of excellent surf available and Pasta Point will again be the events base with options to surf other quality surf breaks like Lohifushi, Cokes and Jails!

Just how important this event is to these surfers was highlighted last year when Australia’s Luke Munro won the event and then went on to qualify for the ASP Fosters World Tour. There’s a high degree of prestige attached to winning this event because the waves are so good. It’s the perfect testing ground to highlight surfings best and you’ll only win here if you’re truly a champion of the sport.

This years event sees multiple partners joining forces to ensure the best possible promotion which will include a fully serviced (vision, audio and live scores) live webcast along with an international television production crew who will produce a feature show for the world along with daily news feeds to the world and web highlight packages.

ASP Australasia Tour Manager Glenn Best commented on the event saying “The 2007 SriLankan Airlines Pro event is going to be a fantastic event thanks to the support of our key sponsors in SriLankan Airlines, Maldives Tourism & Promotions Board and John Keels Resorts who have all solidified their commitment in 2007. The Maldives is without question one of the most superb surfing event locations, and each year it continually gives up some of the best WQS waves on the globe, we are so fortunate to be holding the event in such a fantastic surfing location - With the event’s 5 Star Prime Rating bringing the best ASP ranked surfers into the Maldives it creates an explosive surfing event, and it’s all set in an idyllic tropical location. The 2007 SriLankan Airlines Pro event will have daily live vision web cast from the event site at ‘Pasta Point’ on the luxurious Dhonveli Beach & Spa Resort, - put simply, very few other WQS events offer such outstanding surf conditions and all set in 5 Star surroundings”

Just some of the quality surfers already on the entry list include Roy Powers (Hawaii), Leonardo Neves (Brazil), Kai Otton (Australia), David Weare (South Africa), Tim Boal (France), Enecko Acero (Spain), Tiago Pires (Portugal), Abdul El Harem (Morocco), Teppi Tajima (Japan), Brian Toth (Puerto Rico), Alex Grey (USA) and many more for what is possibly the worlds biggest elite representation at an ASP Professional event.

The SriLankan Airlines Pro, sitting right in the middle of the grueling ASP World Qualifying Series Season and almost right in the middle of surfing’s global community which will ensure a super quality event in an amazing location.

The countdown to early June is now on as everyone eagerly plans their pathway on SriLankan Airlines to the magnificent Maldives.

The 2007 Maldives presents the SriLankan Airlines Pro event is proudly supported by SriLankan Airlines, Maldives Tourism & Promotions Board, John Keels Resorts and Atoll Travel.

Watch all the event action live from the beautiful Maldives from 3 - 9 June on www.surfingaustralia.com

Steve Robertson
ASP Australasia, Surfing Australia Media Manager
ASP Int. Digital Photographer

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.

The award winning resort, the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa, is to be re-branded as a Conrad, the Hilton group’s luxury hotel brand. The resort will be renamed the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, effective December 2007.

Koos Klein, president of Hilton Hotels - Middle East and Asia Pacific, commented, “This decision reaffirms the premium positioning of the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa, which has been internationally renowned for its combination of innovative world firsts such as Ithaa, its underwater restaurant, and the resort’s consistently high luxury standards.”

Following re-branding, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island will offer an increased range of amenities, while still providing the high-quality service for which it is recognized. There will be no disruption to guests during the re-branding process.

Richard Blamey, senior vice president - Conrad Hotels Brand Management, said, “Conrad’s brand promise, ‘The Luxury of Being Yourself’, celebrates the individuality of its guests and the exclusive experience provided by each of our hotels. With its investment throughout time in luxury-oriented services and product, the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa is an ideal match and will be an outstanding addition to the growing Conrad portfolio. We look forward to building on the exceptional success of this world-class resort.”

Hilton also recently signed an agreement to introduce a luxury Conrad Resort and Spa in Koh Samui, Thailand, in 2009.