'Honeymoon dream ruined' say couple

A COUPLE say their dreams of a honeymoon in the Maldives were left in ruins by a high street holiday company.

Richard Taylor and Lindsay Reidy, of Acres Lane, Preesall, booked to stay at the fancy Herathera resort on the tropical island hoping for the holiday of a lifetime to celebrate their marriage.

But the couple claim that just two weeks before they were due to fly out on their dream trip, First Choice told them there was a problem – the place was still unfinished.

Problems

The couple, both 29, were told that building work around the hotel, which they booked from the company's brochure in April, was still going on.

Having shelled out a small fortune for the holiday – rooms can cost up to $575 (£289) per night according to the resort's own website – they were furious and did their own internet research to look into the area's problems.

Richard, who runs a business training company, said: "To be told two weeks before we were due to fly out was a disgrace.

"We went on the internet and there were testimonials and YouTube clips showing problems at the resort.

"They were scathing, saying the resort wasn't built and the clips showed the place looking unfinished.

"To offer us a holiday in April to a resort that wasn't properly finished seems terrible, especially since it looked fantastic in the pictures."

With other places fully booked, Richard and Lindsay were offered alternative accommodation at a lower grade hotel and, they claim, just £30 compensation.

Not happy with a downgraded honeymoon, the couple contacted another agent, Gill Walker from Prestige Vacations, and within 24 hours the couple were booked on a flight going to a resort they were happy with.

Relieved Lindsay, who works in a nursery, said: "It is sad that this whole scenario could have been avoided if First Choice had kept their customers better informed and showed a little effort when picking up the pieces."

Richard added: "We're glad it's been sorted now but obviously we feel very let down and it's hard to believe that First Choice would offer such poor customer service."

Nobody from First Choice was available to comment.

Source: UK Gazette

The first batch of tourists have arrived to Herethere

The first batch of tourists have arrived in Addu atoll\'s Herathere resort which has had an informal opening.

Maldives Tourism Development Cooperation\'s Chairman Hussain Afeef said that 16 tourists had arrived on Saturday and had expressed satisfaction with the resort.

The first international flight is scheduled to arrive at Gan airport next Sunday and many more tourists are expected to arrive thereafter, Afeef told a press conference.

The Condor flight is scheduled to arrive directly from European with 80 Italian tourists.

Maldives Tourism Promotion Board\'s Marketing Executive Mohamed Maleeh said that a special ceremony will be held to mark their arrival.

This resort was originally scheduled to be opened in early November but the opening had to be delayed because some construction works were yet to be finished.

The 600-bed resort will first operate with 273 beds until all works are completed by January 15.

Source: Haveeru News Service

China Eastern begins operating flights to Maldives

Shanghai-Maldives-Johannesburg flights starting from April 27, as it further expands its international network. The carrier will operate four flights per week on the route using Airbus A340-300 aircraft.

China Eastern is a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes. Its main bases are Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Day of ops A/C Type Route STA STD
Saturday A340 PVG-MLE-JNB 0455LT 0605LT
Sunday A340 JNB-MLE-PVG 0050LT 0200LT
Wednesday A340 PVG-MLE-JNB 0455LT 0605LT
Thursday A340 JNB-MLE-PVG 0050LT 0200LT
This airline will open up the door for Chinese and eastern tourists to travel easily to Maldives and as well as traffic from South Africa.

Chinese outbound travel is based on a system called Approved Destination Status (ADS). According to this system, Chinese nationals can travel to ADS countries only. The Maldives became an ADS country at the end of 2002.

There has been a tremendous growth in the Chinese market for the past four years to Maldives, partly, due to the Approved Destination Status (ADS) and also the new found freedom for Chinese citizens to travel. After the Maldives became an ADS country, the arrivals from China increased tremendously.

However, in 2004 arrivals dropped tremendously compared to the projections for 2005. But in 2006 there was an unprecedented growth of 127 percent in comparison to 2005. Chinese tourists now account for 4.4 percent of total tourist arrivals to Maldives.

China Eastern’s local operation agent in the Maldives is Inner Maldives Holidays, one of the premier brands in the travel and tourism industry in Maldives.

For more information please contact:
Abdulla Ghiyas, Deputy Managing Director or
Ali Nifaz, Operations Manager
Inner Maldives Holidays
Tel: (960) 3326309.

ENDS

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Source: MOG

Direct flights from Europe to Gan

Maldives Tourism Development cooperation (MTDC) announces that Hotel Plan and Thomas Cook will start their charter flights to Gan island in Addu atoll in December this year.

During the press meeting held on 19 March 2007 , Hotel Plan said that charter flights will travel on the route to Milan/Male’/Gan on Panorama airlines. Thomas Cook also announced that in November fights will start from Frankfurt to Gan by Condor airlines.

The two tour operators said that resorts for middle income tourists are important for the Maldives tourism industry and that the government should open more resorts in southern region for middle class travellers so they can fly direct from Europe to Gan, without making a stop in Male’ or any other transit points.

Operators expressed their special interest to this region as it will be a “unique” Maldives experience; tourists will be able to get first hand experience of the local culture, second most populous atoll.

Source: Visit Maldives

Hotelplan, Thomas Cook to start European charter flights to Gan

Hotelplan and Thomas Cook on Monday announced that it will start charter flights from Europe to Gan island in Addu atoll in December this year.

In a meeting held by the Maldives Tourism Development Cooperation (MTDC), the two companies said that they were committed to making the MTDC's resort Herethere in Maldives southernmost atoll a success.

Hotel Plan said that charter flights will travel on the route Milan (Italy), Male and Gan (Maldives) on Blue Panorama Airlines.

Thomas Cook also announced that in November flights will be started from Germany's Frankfurt to Gan on Condor airlines.

The two tour operators said that resorts for middle income tourists were important for the Maldives tourism industry, and that should the government open more resorts in the southern region for middle class travellers, they can fly direct from Europe to Gan, without involving Male' or any other transit point.

Tour operators have hailed development of tourism in Addu which they say will be a "unique" Maldives experience; the beaches are "different" and tourists can get a first hand experience of local culture from Maldives' second most populous atoll, they say.

Mohamed Umar Maniku, chairman of Universal Enterprises and also the powerful industrial private lobby group Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), and who also acts as advisor to MTDC, told the meeting that he cannot say anything on the development of Vilingili, a joint venture between the Maldives government and Shangri-La, which has taken several years to go into development.

"However, I will assure you that we will make Herethere a reality," he said.

MTDC's chairman, "Champa" Hussein Afeef who also has his own resort company Crown Tours, said that it took about six months to convince tour operators that Addu atoll was a viable tourist destination.

"Now about 40 tour operators have expressed interest in buying beds from Herethere," he said.

He said that he was sure that local tour operators can also charter flights to Addu but said that he first approached foreign tour operators to make sure that everything will go smoothly.

Afeef said that 50 percent of construction work on Herethere has been completed and that the resort will open in November.

Addu, which has always been at loggerheads with the central government in Male, has been one of the most neglected atolls in the archipelago, resulting in people electing opposition MPs to parliament.

The decaying atoll's revival has always been hindered because according to critics, the central government has never recovered and forgiven the people of Addu for the attempted secession during former President Ibrahim Nasir's term.

Source:- HNS