OPERATORS have welcomed the launch of the first non-stop scheduled service from the UK to the Maldives, predicting it will boost bookings at the top end of the market and make luxury resorts easier to sell.
Air Maldives launched the twice-weekly service last month, flying from Gatwick to the main island of Male on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Previously, passengers en route to the islands could only travel on charter flights, or via Dubai with Emirates or Columbo with Air Lanka.
Elite Vacations managing director Peter Jackson said: “Most of our business is from people who don’t like to fly charter for both comfort reasons and also because they don’t want to be restricted to departures on certain days of the week.”
With the new service, operators can offer five, six, 12 and 13-night packages.
According to Jackson, the new service also offers good value. “Air Maldives prices are slightly lower than Emirates at present so clients will now get a non-stop flight at no extra cost. This should increase business to the islands next year.”
Elite’s lead in price is £1,273 per person for 12 nights’ half-board between January and April based on Emirates flights via Dubai. Next year the same package with Air Maldives flights starts at at £1,209.
Operators such as Sunset Faraway Holidays say the new flight will help make luxury resorts easier to sell.
The most recent deluxe property is the Kanuhura Beach and Spa Resort, which opened at the beginning of this month. Located on Laviyani Atoll, 30mins by seaplane from Male International airport, the resort has 97 luxury villas, including 18 water villas on stilts and two water villa suites – the latter with whirpool baths in their own private gardens.
Maldive Travel managing director Toni De Laroque said the property is aimed at tourists who want to get away from it all without sacrificing any luxury.
De Laroque believes the property will appeal mostly to older couples, though babysitting facilities will ensure couples with young children are welcome too.
The Kanuhura’s biggest draw is its huge marble-floored health spa and beauty centre, where a wide range of western and Asian massages and body treatments are on offer, as well as a gym, steam and sauna rooms.
“People want more than just a beach holiday – they want to feel healthy and pampered. The emphasis at Kanahura is very much on health and well-being,” said De Laroque.
The Kanuhura is the latest in a series of new luxury properties that includes the Ocean Reef Resort on Gan atoll.
“The emphasis of new developments has definitely been focused on luxury. The new Air Maldives flights will help this market without a doubt,” said De Laroque, who has included the property in her latest brochure.
Maldive Travel offers a lead price of £1,215 for five nights’ bed-and-breakfast staying in a beach villa, or £1,775 for 12 nights. Full-board is an extra £34 a night.
The Maldives is renowned for superb scuba diving, and Kanuhura will be no exception. “On the other atolls the diving is super but they are often busy. At Kanuhura you are likely to have the site to yourself,” said De Laroque.
In addition to diving, the resort offers windsurfing, sailing, tennis courts and a golf-driving range.
TABLE: The next wave: operators believe direct flights to the Maldives will increase high-end bookings