Tourism / Maldives
A business doing leisure
The private and public sectors are marketing the natural beauty and traditional hospitality of the Maldives to travellers from around the world.
Sun Siyam is currently planning five new properties in the Maldives. Two are due to start construction in 2016.
The first tourists were attracted to the Maldives in 1972 and, four decades later, nearly 1.5 million tourists a year provide 42 per cent of GDP and 30 per cent of employment.
“We are selling nature,” says Mr. Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, Chairman of Sun Siyam, an award-winning tours and resorts group. He knows that the spectacular beauty of the Maldivian islands is a magnet for visitors.
Explaining the growth of his own hotel empire since its establishment in 1990, Mr. Siyam stresses that originality and service excellence have become Sun Siyam’s hallmark: “Whenever you build a hotel, originality and creativity must be 100 percent present” he says, adding that “a major part is how the staff make you feel” as they interact with you to facilitate a memorable hotel experience.
Special attention is paid to the needs of the Arab clientele. “They need more exclusivity. They need their rooms and pools to be covered and they like to have their own home food, for example Arabic cuisine. We give them a wonderful service.”
Government initiatives, such as ‘Visit Maldives Year 2016’, a destination marketing campaign planned to coincide with the golden jubilee of the independence of the Maldives, have also played their part in presenting the country favourably and attracting further investment. By showcasing the natural attractions and the safety and stability, Maldivian officials are aiming to attract as many as 7.5 million tourists by 2018. “We can do it” declares Mr. Siyam, citing a number of important infrastructure projects, such as the expansion of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), as prerequisites.
Looking beyond the Maldives, Sun Siyam has invested in the development of the first Water Villa project in Sri Lanka, situated in the north-west. Due to open its doors in 2017, this investment will be the company’s second property in Sri Lanka.
