Maldives has always had a fascination for travellers. Now companies such as AAA Resorts, which has recently appointed Blue Square Consultants as its India rep, are tailoring themselves for Indian guests.
Even if yours’ are the sort of travellers who need to have a checklist of places to see and things to do, Maldives will calm them down. The only urban stretch in the island nation with 1192 islets, of which 200 are inhabited, is Male.
A tourist can cover the entire capital city on foot in about an hour or two, taking in the Presidential Palace, old architecture, fruit and fish markets and a museum.
The one thing that a traveller cannot do is put down the camera – now catching a view of the islands from the seaplane, now photographing baby sharks swimming in turquoise seas, waiting to see other colourful fish or capturing a particularly picturesque sunset framed within the prow of a traditional boat. Be careful in Maldives, you will have to sleep with the camera by your pillow.
Waiting for the seaplane connection to Medhufushi and then Zitahli, TGI caught up with AAA’s director Ali Shiyam who is also the economic advisor to the president of Maldives; and sales and marketing manager, Rizma Waleed about their plans for their Indian guests.
Overview
“Maldives has 21,000 beds total with about 30 more resorts in the pipeline, which will add 15,000 to 20,000 more rooms. We have three more resorts in the pipeline taking our total to 700 rooms by 2012. We have worked with reps in various countries for about 10 years and it has worked really well.
Source markets
Europe is our primary source market. Russia is growing fast. We started focusing on China two years back and it is growing very fast. Korea is coming up. Our number one market is Germany, then come UK, France, China and Russia. In Asia, China and Japan are good. We are starting to receive Australians and Malaysians as well.
Though guests can sometimes book directly, tour operators sell at a cheaper rate. They’re selling quite well so we don’t need to undercut their rates.
Why should Indians travel to the Maldives?
The Indian market is interested in the Maldives. They feel like they’re home, but they also come to see something different. Indians travel to Mauritius and Seychelles.
We have so much more to offer. So far, Indian guests to Maldives tend to travel to Indian brands. We have a great luxury product, reasonably priced so we are confident that the Indian guests will like it. Indian GDP growth is explosive and they have a huge outbound market. Most of our guests are experienced travellers who know what to expect from a four or five-star resort.
Our Indian clients are well-travelled. This is not their first time travel destination. Their first request is for Indian food and Indian chefs. The second request is for Indian television channels.
So far, we have noticed that Indians like to stay near the airport so seaplane transfers are not necessary. But our properties have an edge because they have everything that Indians may be looking for – good chefs, entertainment and excursions.
We are catering to an international clientele so we already have a huge buffet. We are hiring Indian chefs for all our resorts. We’ve signed a contract with Blue Square Consultants in India in June. By next year we can start welcoming our Indian clients. South India is one source, Bollywood is another segment. We’re looking at honeymoon travellers and FITs.
Costs
Maldives is not a cheap destination, since we import everything from a little pin to everything else. Then, every resort is self-contained. We have our own electricity and water.
After 2008, prices of all our resorts have reduced. Going by our arrival figures it is clear that we are not very expensive. We have three resorts, a four-star, a five-star and a five-star deluxe.
The four-star prices are US$162-$278 ,depending on the season. Medhufushi is $199 to $319. Zitahli would be $323-$479 per person, per night for double occupancy. There are also value-added services such as free nights, honeymoon packages, free children etc.
To add to the cost, we have seaplanes. To Medhufushi a seaplane return is $300 which makes a short-stay package very expensive, even if the room is $150 per night at half board.
We have reduced our rates by 40% during the low season. We figured it’s better to have occupancy at these rates than have no occupancy. There is low season here – June, July. It’s the European summer. If they get a good deal they come here.
Arrival numbers expected this year are from November 1, with average occupancy above 90%.
Connectivity
Currently, we have Indian Airlines and Sri Lankan flights to Male. We’re working out some packages with both, particularly the SriLankan. We have the Maldivian as well but it is primarily used by medical tourists from Maldives to India.
Kingfisher has lined up charter flights twice a week from Mumbai to Gan in the southern part of the islands-nation. The flights will commence October. There are plans to add flights from Delhi to Male.
Targets
We are targeting getting at least 600 to 700 Indian clients. More than 50% of them would come from South India. Currently, we have about 5% to 10% Indian guests. We would like take this number to 15% to 20%.
We are trying to maintain an international clientele. We allocate certain rooms to a market. We may allocate 10 rooms to the Indian market next year. If we can maintain that many it’d be good.
Maldives tourism
Tourism is important to Maldives. For the time being, the promotion board may not invest in new markets. But we see the possibility of attracting Indians to our resorts…it is a good emerging market for us.
In Maldives is we have a bed tax, which is $8 a person, per night. As a company we’d have to pay a lease rent, which could be $1 million to $2 million per year regardless of occupancy.
Resorts were assigned by bidding which went up to ridiculous lease rents such as $15 million a year because everyone wanted to own one. At one time, there were 20 five-star resorts coming up. Some have not even been built yet.
Once you are given a resort, you’d be given 18 months to complete it. After that whether or not you have built it, the lease rents start.
Now, things are changing. The government is making it possible for private companies to create infrastructure. The government has standardised its leasing policy so there is a level playing field. It is also willing to share the risk with profit sharing and GST.
Travel agents
We work with travel agencies and tour operators. We train their reservations staff, we also give them incentives such as free holidays, train them about our resorts.
We’ve realised that we don’t need only five-star resort properties. We’ve plans to develop more AAA properties, which is our midscale brand instead of Zitahli, which is upper upscale. Not everyone can afford $1000 a night. This trend of building only high-end properties stated a few years back. So if you look at the resorts now there are more five-star properties than midscale ones.
When we talk to tour operators they say they are interested in four-star properties. Currently, amongst our properties Medhufushi is under AAA and is barefoot luxury. Zitahli is quite luxurious.
We have net rates but we can offer tour operators cheaper packages which can be marketed by them. We have started these in Mumbai and in Delhi. We’re looking at corporate clients. We have already worked with a couple of groups from India. We have also taken up UAE representation. Roadshows are good but representation helps us build a relationship.
Medhufushi & Zitahli
Background: When you first see Medhufushi from the seaplane, its privately positioned honeymoon villas catch the eye. The island-resort is built in the traditional Maldivian style and is targeted at high-end FITs.
Zitahli, on the other hand, is a five-star premium property and is an ideal honeymoon getaway. It is not unusual for guests to choose it as the last leg of an extended honeymoon holiday.
The arrival: A seaplane transfer from Male can take up to 45 minutes and $298 per person for a return trip to Medhufushi and $414 for Zitahli. Guests who have a long wait for the transfer can either choose to explore Male or wait at the AAA lounge.
While it is possible to make it to nearby resorts by boat, a seaplane journey is a must for a first time traveller to the Maldives. You can watch changing colours of water and get a true feel of this nation made up of islets. Again, as everywhere in the Maldives, keep your camera handy.
Seaplanes are not known for their luxury and can get rather hot at certain times. It’s best to carry anti-vomit pills, just in case. The arrangements for luggage and guests are impeccably done with the hotels.
Accommodation: Both properties come with beach and water villas. The beach villas, located just a couple of metres from sea, give an impression of being secluded because of the trees planted around them. At Medhufushi, a jhula on the private verandah in both types of properties becomes the highlight, in case the open air shower failed to leave an impact.
All rooms come with four poster king size or twin beds. There are eight beach suites, 44 water villas, built on stilts out in the lagoon, facing a sunrise or the sunset. All patios have steps leading down to sea in case you want to go for a swim or just dip your feet.
The two honeymoon suites are located far away from everything else can be approached by boat.
In Zitahli, there are only 50 villas on the similarly-sized islet, 20 on land and 30 on water. Carefully placed 12m to 15m apart, the villas with open bathrooms afford a dazzling view of either the beach or the turquoise lagoons. All super deluxe beach villas and super deluxe aqua villas are equipped with private plunge pools.
Wandering around the resort you do come across guests by the poolside or trying snorkelling in the shallow, transparent waters around the resort.
F&B: Medhufushi has a poolside restaurant, overlooking the lagoon which offers buffet style breakfast lunch and dinner with cuisine from around the world.
Its Alfresco restaurant at the pavilion serves beverages and a la carte’ specialities in an open air setting. Gourmet menus are available for those celebrating special occasions. The Vilu Bar is built over the lagoon, offering spectacular beach and ocean view.
“Our curry section is popular with all our guests. We’ve theme nights but we serve Asian, Maldivian, European cuisines on a regular basis. We also have live entertainment at least four days a week,” says resort manager Shameen Saleem of Medhufushi. From December until the end of May is high season.
At Zitahli, Breeze is the casual restaurant which serves a la carte menu all day or buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes the resort offers a mix of a la carte and buffet for different courses at mealtimes. All day dining is possible at the poolside offering a variety of light snacks including salads, sandwiches and pizzas.
The F&B director at AAA ensures the best ice creams and desserts.
Watersports: Both resorts offer a basic course for beginners and advanced diving courses at extra cost at centres are run by Werner Lau.
At Medhufushi, the geographical formation of meemu atoll has great exposure to south swells and there are plenty of reef-pass setup that will often see bigger waves that the more popular north Male atoll.
Both properties are equipped to provide windsurfing, catamarans, canoeing and sailing, volleyball and table tennis. You can request assistance for snorkelling or learn to be a diver with professional assistance. Equipment is available for hire starting $5.
At Zitahli a sunset fishing expedition can bring you in close contact with a baby shark, released back into water almost immediately since it is protected.
Spa: A spa experience at either of properties is superlative. The spa menu consists of hair spa, pedicures, manicures, full body massages and various combinations. The products used are Ayurvedic.
The Balinese masseuses ensure that the guest gets pampered during the duration for the treatment. Even if you opt for a hair spa, it is not likely that you will be left alone for a pack to dry off. Instead the masseuse may use the time to massage your legs or shoulders depending on your request.
Booking it: Contact sunil.mathapati@bluesquareconsultants.com or navneet.gulati@bluesquareconsultants.com.
