Grand Park Kodhipparu opens in Maldives

Loading Maldives Offers.... The Park Hotel Group has opened the Grand Park Kodhipparu, a luxury island resort in the Maldives.

With 120 luxurious villas, of which 65 feature private pools, Grand Park Kodhipparu offers guests a variety of choices. Beach Pool, Ocean Water, Lagoon Water, Ocean Pool and Lagoon Pool Water villas offer direct access to the beach.

All villas come with sunrise and sunset views, a sun terrace, and indoor and outdoor shower facilities. Those looking for ultimate privacy can select one of the five Grand Residences featuring two bedrooms and bathrooms, an exclusive living space and large private pool.

Situated next to the ocean, The Edge all-day dining restaurant will serve a changing selection of buffet dishes from breakfast through to dinner and guests can enjoy an unblocked view of the horizon from the indoor lounge seating or while dining at the overwater private pods.

Adjacent to the infinity pool, Breeze Poolside Dining and Bar iserves light bites throughout the day. At sunset, it transforms into a laidback resort bar offering cocktails and cigars. Nestled away from the other resort facilities, Firedoor serves a selection of grilled meats and fresh seafood.

AirAsia launches cheap direct flights from Bangkok to Maldives

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Thai AirAsia is launching daily direct flights between Bangkok and the Maldives in August, and the fare is a fraction of the service offered by Bangkok Airways, who was previously the sole operator of the non-stop route.

Starting from Aug. 11, the daily AirAsia flight to the Maldives will leave Don Mueang at 9:30am. The return flight to Bangkok departs Malé International Airport at 12:30pm.

Thai AirAsia launched a promo fare of THB1,990 one-way, inclusive of taxes and fees, which you can book until June 25. Note that prices vary depends on the dates.

Still, it is big drop compared to a one-way fare of THB13,500 plus tax fare from Bangkok Airways.

The low-cost airline expects the route will be at least 85 percent booked, as Maldives has long been a popular beach destination, according to Bangkok Post.

For this route, the airline will use 180-seat Airbus A320 single-aisle jets.

Sun Siyam Resorts keen on India’s prospective MICE business

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Evgenia Boyankova - Group Director of Business Development, Sun Siyam Resorts, looks at making the

most of the teeming Indian wedding and MICE market.

Sun Siyam Resorts witnessed huge growth from the Indian market, particularly for its four star property Olhuveli Beach & Spa Maldives. Talking about the response from the Indian market, Evgenia Boyankova, Group Director of Business Development of Sun Siyam Resorts, observed that most of their guests checked into Olhuveli Beach & Spa Maldives for short stays. “We have also seen that there is an upward flow for high-end Indian customers who are looking for five-star properties such as our Sun Aqua Vilu Reef and the Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Maldives. In Asia, India is the second largest source market to the Maldives after China. We have noticed an upward rise in 2016 compared to 2015.”

Marketing Plans

This year Sun Siyam Resorts plans to capture as much market share as it can by taking part in major travel shows, workshops, roadshows and by covering major metros and sub metros in India. “Also India is a very dynamic market; each region has a different target audience and is also driven on relationships. So, we will continue working closely with our preferred partners, trade associations and key travel partners for increased growth and conversions. We plan to build and increase our market share in terms of family travel, high-end MICE, honeymooners, single women groups.”

Business from India

While the MICE segment is a key focus, the properties are also popular among honeymooners besides being favoured by family travellers. “At Sun Siyam Resorts, we are focusing more on MICE group enquiries for conferences, events as well as weddings; hence a mix of corporate plus leisure. India’s destination wedding concept has been growing over the past few years. We are also catering to corporate travel as we have ideal setups at our resorts.The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Maldives has a variety of full-fledged meeting rooms which cater to different needs. Our lagoons with crystal clear water and soft sandy beaches are ideal for various motorized and non-motorized water activities.” On the other hand, Olhuveli Beach & Spa Maldives has the first-of-itskind kite surfing school. Activities for adventure lovers include wake boarding, fly boarding and knee boarding, apart from banana boat riding and jet skiing for families. “Maldives is a popular destination for Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif, Mandira Bedi among others. With the launching of new flights in Mega Maldives we can expect more volume of Indian travellers.”
The destination is welcoming more resorts including big brands like Accor and St. Regis.

“The luxury properties continue to increase due to the demand and India has both very affluent travellers and budget conscious travellers.” Evgenia concludes by saying that there is room for all as Maldives boasts of a sustainable hospitality industry.

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AirAsia launches flights from Thailand to Maldives with prices starting from S$80.70

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AirAsia is launching new daily direct flights to Maldives and the route is being introduced with a special promotional fare starting at Bt1,990 ($80.70) per trip from Wednesday (June 14) until June 25 for travel between August 11 and 28.Maldives is among the world's top destinations among Thai and international travellers alike with plenty of activities that range from coral diving and dolphin viewing to water sports and relaxation at private resorts.The islands also provide a wonderful opportunity to experience the unique Maldivian lifestyle, and exciting activities that can be enjoyed equally by families, friends and couples.AirAsia's director of commercial Santisuk Klongchaiya said: "Many people's perception of Maldives is that it is costly and only caters to certain types of travellers, but today AirAsia is launching the flight so that everyone can discover the atolls. There's a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from guest houses to opulent resorts. Without the need for a visa (for Thai people), travelling to the country is now easier than ever and we are confident the route will see robust growth, especially as AirAsia is the first low-fares carrier to offer a Bangkok-Maldives link.

Thailand's Singha Estate to invest $311.5 mln in Maldives resorts

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Thailand's Singha Estate Pcl , the real estate development arm of Boon Rawd Brewery, will invest $311.5 million in a series of hotels in the Maldives, it said on Thursday.

Boon Rawd Brewery, which is known for the pale lager, Singha, received a 50-year concession from the Maldivian government to develop hotels in nine islands of the country.

Singha Estate expects to make an initial investment of $83 million while the total investment is likely to reach $311.5 million, Chief Financial Officer Methee Vinichbutr said at an investor briefing.

Resorts on the first two islands are expected to be operational in July 2018 and the firm expects more Chinese tourists in the Maldives in the future, he said.

Earlier this year, the company had finalised a joint venture with Hongkong Land Group to develop a luxury residential tower in Bangkok at an estimated value of $170 million. Singha will hold 51 percent of the venture.

Singha Estate's revenue jumped 89 percent to 1.2 billion baht ($35.16 million) in the first quarter of this year. However, net profit fell by 67 percent to 33.5 million from a year-earlier period when it booked foreign exchange gains. ($1 = 34.14 baht) (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Orathai Siring and Subhranshu Sahu)