ONYX Hospitality Group , Thailand’s leading hotel management company, has been appointed by the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation Plc (MTDC) to manage the Herathera Island Resort commencing December 1, 2010. Set on Addu, the southern-most atoll in the Maldives, approximately 480km south of the capital Male, the 273-villa resort features three natural lagoons, a turtle hatchery and a unique 4 km beach, the longest of any resort within the archipelago.
Recreational facilities at Herathera Island Resort include three swimming pools, a range of restaurants and bars, a spa and dive centre. During the course of 2011, the resort will undergo significant upgrades including enhancements to the beach and villas as well as the addition of numerous sports and children’s facilities. The resort will then be re-launched as an Amari, the centrepiece brand of the ONYX portfolio, and be positioned as a leading destination in the Maldives for activity and family holidays.
“We are thrilled that our first international management agreement is in such a renowned tourist destination as the Maldives,” said Peter Henley, CEO of ONYX Hospitality Group, adding, “we look forward to working closely with MTDC on a range of exciting improvements so that this wonderful resort will be able to showcase its full potential.”
MTDC’s chief executive officer Mohammed Mihad noted: “We are focused on further developing the southern part the Maldives with Gan International Airport as the hub. The re-launch of Herathera under the new management will play a significant part in this.”
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Showing posts with label MTDC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MTDC. Show all posts
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Friday, May 11, 2007
Maldives opens trade centre
Seeking investors: Maldivian High Commissioner to Malaysia Midath Hilmy and Dr Mahmood.
By K.W. MAK
THE Maldives needs international businesses to participate in its fast growing hospitality industry and there is no better time to take part than now as the country is calling for tenders.
Primarily a pricey European tourist destination, the Maldives does not attract many locals to partake in the numerous tourism products there, and the Maldives government wants to change that by further developing its tourism industry with the help of foreign players.
“Demand is greater than supply at the moment and that is driving prices up,” said Maldives Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Dr Mahmood Shougy, citing the 100% occupancy rate for hotels in the month of February this year as an example.
He said the Maldives government was looking for international investors to participate in tenders for tourism projects that would open up the whole country to tourism.
“Presently, tourism is localised in a few areas,” said Dr Mahmood.
The government needs to develop five domestic airports with resorts to link up the chain of 1,190 coral islands that form the nation.
“As it is expensive to maintain an airport, a resort will be planned for the airport and form part of the package to make it economically viable for the investor,” said Dr Mahmood.
Other tenders that would be of interest to investors include three new transit hotels, a five-star 300-bed hotel in Male’, three new resorts and joint-venture opportunities with the Maldives Tourism Development Corpo-ration (MTDC).
Investment in existing resorts and hotels is also possible through the purchase of lease rights of islands, sub-leasing of resorts under construction and obtaining management rights of resorts to be developed.
All three investment methods can also be applied to resorts already in operation.
“We source a lot of materials from Malaysia for construction, but there are no major investors from Malaysia in our tourism industry,” said Dr Mahmood.
“There is also potential to develop Malaysia as a regional hub because many tourists use Malaysia and Singapore as a transit point to Maldives.”
The Maldives High Commission has opened a business service centre to provide information and facilitate business-to-business contact.
For more information, call Trade and Commerce First Secretary Ibrahim Naim at 03-2163 7244.
Source: The Star
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
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
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
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