Maldives participates in BOOT 2016 held in Düsseldorf, Germany

Maldives will be participating in 47th International Boat Show Düsseldorf 2016 to be hosted in Germany from January 23rd – 31st. This is one of the largest sea sports exhibitions. BOOT fair is a consumer fair targeted to sea sport enthusiasts and diving.

Boot 2016

At this event, visitors can inspect, examine and experience the new boat, diving equipment or wakeboard they are interested in. This Trade Show, Fair and Exhibition is considered to be attended by more than 1700 exhibitors over 60 countries, takes place at Dusseldorf Exhibition Centre, Germany.

Boot 2016

Together with Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation, 18 representatives from 8 companies of the tourism industry will be representing Maldives in the event. The main objective of participating in this fair is to promote Maldives as a diving destination. The travel show will pave way to build new contacts, strengthen the established ones and further reach the target audience of the German market.

Boot 2016

Germany is an important traditional market to the Maldives that has always ranked amongst the top generating markets to the Maldives. The total number of arrivals for 2015 was 9,640; thi is an increase of 6.9% compared to 2014. Germany is the second largest generating market to the Maldives which holds 8.5% of the market share.

Boot 2016

Kurumba Maldives’ M.I.C.E Facilities

Kurumba Maldives is conveniently located within 10 minutes of Malé International airport and 15 minutes from the capital of Malé, making its position a great advantage for companies wishing to organize meetings, incentives, conferences and events.

Thila Restaurant, Kurumba Maldives
Thila Restaurant, Kurumba Maldives

As the first private resort island in the Maldives, Kurumba has had the privilege to organize numerous events over the years since its opening in 1972. The team has vast experience in special occasions such as state dinners and conferences.

Conference Hall, Kurumba Maldives
Conference Hall, Kurumba Maldives

This beautiful island, boasts 8 restaurants, 3 bars, nightly entertainment, water sports, a diving school, a vibrant house reef for snorkelling, excursions, a recreation center with numerous facilities and activities, a spa and paradisiacal beaches.

VIP Lounge, Kurumba Maldives
VIP Lounge, Kurumba Maldives

The Bougainvillea Hall is Kurumba’s main convention hall. Its high ceilings give the well-appointed room an open feel, without pillars obscuring attendees’ views. This meeting space caters for up to 200 guests in a variety of layouts. In addition, The VIP lounge is connected to the main conference hall and can be divided into two spaces. Suitable for up to 60 guests, this space is perfect for breakouts, a rest area for speakers or for smaller meetings.

Conference Hall, Kurumba Maldives
Conference Hall, Kurumba Maldives

The bathroom facilities adjacent to the conference hall and in the VIP lounge have all been recently renovated, while the installation of new carpets in the conference areas has provided a fresh feel to the space.

Kurumba Maldives

Ms. Judit Rosa, Sales & Marketing Manager at Kurumba Maldives commented: “Kurumba Maldives is fully committed to providing the best value for money and continually improving its services and facilities. We have invested over USD1 million over the past year in accordance with our improvement policy and we are looking forward to welcome more MICE guests to the island in 2016”.

Team building activities can also be arranged by the Majaa Recreation team, as well as excursions, social events and cultural experiences for delegates and their spouses.

Thila Restaurant, Kurumba Maldives
Thila Restaurant, Kurumba Maldives

Indoor and al fresco dining options are available, including the ever popular Thila restaurant’s 1st floor, which offers spectacular views and can be booked for private events. This space is ideal for a cocktail reception or as a dining space. The Food & Beverage and culinary teams will work on dedicated menus based on requirements.

Media Contact:

Please contact us with any questions that you may have regarding organizing your meeting, event or itinerary. We will be happy to assist you in organizing your package, accommodation, transfers and all the small details that really count. Phone: (960) 6647369 Fax: (960) 6643885 E-mail: [email protected]

About Kurumba Maldives

Kurumba Maldives is set on a tropical island in the North Malé Atoll, conveniently situated a brief 10 minute speedboat ride from the airport. Dotted with coconut trees that are the island’s namesake, Kurumba was the first private island resort in the Maldives. Beautiful gardens, palm fringed white sandy beaches and a vibrant house reef is the hallmarks of this classic Maldivian resort.

The resort offers an array of eight styles of accommodation, ranging from comfortable Superior rooms to the spacious Royal Residence, spread amongst the island’s lush tropical gardens with easy access to the beach. With eight different restaurants to choose from Kurumba Maldives will charm you with its unparalleled choice of dining experiences and a wide range of recreation activities and entertainment. All while maintaining idyllic refuges and quiet spaces of relaxation to create the perfect balance for a holiday in paradise, perfect for honeymooners and family alike.

Over the years, Kurumba has played host to a variety of foreign dignitaries and Heads of State, including Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and former US Presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. It has also been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards, including Maldives Leading Hotel (World Travel Awards) in 2010 and 2011, and Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for Best Service and Luxury (2013) as well as the number one All-Inclusive resort in Asia (2014 and 2015), and number one best All-Inclusive resort in the world (2015).

Kurumba Maldives
Kurumba Maldives

Maldives leading tourist destination at Fitur 2016

Fitur is one of the grand global events for the tourist industry. A wide range of worldwide destinations comes together under one roof to establish contacts, do business and know about the latest trends and patterns from the tourism and hospitality industry. Fitur is also an important platform to reach the lucrative Latin American market (Spanish speaking countries including Mexico, Colombia and Argentina) as well as the Portuguese speaking countries (Portugal, Brazil).

Maldives is among the leading tourist destinations that will be featured at Fitur 2016. Maldives stand, with 65sqm is decorated with the beautiful sceneries of the country representing the different segments offered in the destination. In order to expand the image of the Maldives stand and to get more exposure, advertisement slots were taken from different locations at the exhibition, which were means to promoting the Visit Maldives Year 2016 campaign. Aside from these, the head of Maldives delegation also gave an interview to travel weekly and took part in different seminars organized by UNWTO during Fitur 2016.

Aerial, Lily Beach Resort & Spa
Lily Beach Resort & Spa

Maldives is currently showcasing its sunny side of life in Fitur, which kick started today in Madrid, Spain. Maldives is represented by Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation (MMPRC) together with 12 industry partners; Acting Managing Director of MMPRC, Mr. Haris Mohamed leads the Maldives delegation. The 36th edition of Fitur will run from January 20-24, 2016.

The numbers from Spain market to Maldives have seen a steady growth in the past 3 years. In 2015 Maldives saw a 15.6% growth in Spanish arrivals compared to 2014, with a total of 16,273 tourists to the country till November 2015. Spanish market is a seasonal market to Maldives which holds 1.5% of the market share.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Announces Barista Cup Winner to Represent Maldives at the Grand Final of Hilton Worldwide Southeast Asia & India F&B Masters 2015/2016

As the F&B Masters competition heats up in Southeast Asia (SEA; including Sri Lanka and the Maldives), the time is nigh for rising F&B talents across Hilton Worldwide’s SEA properties to put their best food and drink forward. Rakesh Shetty of Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has emerged triumphant as the Country Winner of The Barista Cup of the Hilton Worldwide SEA & India F&B Masters 2015/2016. He will represent Maldives at the grand final of the F&B Masters 2015/2016 to be held at Conrad Bangkok from February 15-16, 2016.

The annual competition, which aims to celebrate culinary creativity and original mixology, extends to Asia Pacific in 2015 through 2016, following a successful introductory run in Southeast Asia in 2014. Finals of the F&B Masters across APAC will take place in regional clusters namely: Australasia; Greater China; Japan, Korea & Micronesia, and; Southeast Asia & India.

For the 2015/2016 edition, SEA saw 157 team members across 27 properties in the region participating and competing for the honors of winning the ‘Cups’ across the five disciplines— Bar, Culinary, Pastry, Sommelier and Barista – at the SEA & India F&B Masters.

The clustered countries semifinals took off end 2015 at DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta-Diponegoro for the Singapore and Indonesia hotels; Hilton Colombo for Sri Lanka and the Maldives hotels; Millennium Hilton Bangkok for the Thailand and Myanmar hotels; and Hilton Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysia and Vietnam hotels.

“Winning the competition in Sri Lanka was a very proud moment for me,” said Rakesh, the winner from Conrad Maldives.

“I reflected on what it took to get me there and it made me realize there cannot be success without time and hard work,” he added.

“The adrenaline and buzz created were through the roof,” says the F&B Masters champion for SEA, Jean-Sebastian Kling, general manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. “The caliber of talent this year has been phenomenal and it is a joy to see the level of dedication, effort and thought shared throughout the competition.”

“Without a doubt, F&B Masters has proven yet again to be a fantastic platform to showcase team member talents and capabilities,” adds Jon Warmington, general manager, Hilton Kuching, also F&B Masters champion for SEA.

Follow the competition either on the respective SEA hotel’s Facebook page or by searching the hashtag #HiltonFnBstars.

BARISTA CUP WINNER, FNB MASTERS: MEDIA BRIEF Date: 18th January 2016

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is delighted to announce that our resort Cellar Master Rakesh Shetty took out the F&B Masters Barista Cup in the country level competitions held at the Hilton Colombo in November 2015.

Inspired by his first job as a barista in a coffee shop in India, Rakesh won over the judges with his inventive creation, I. A.M Latte.

Rakesh will be heading to Bangkok in February to represent Conrad Maldives in the South East Asian Finals.

Q&A with Rakesh ShettyFnB Masters Winner Rakesh Shetty, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Age: 36 years

How many years have you worked in F&B?

14 years

What types of roles you have worked in and where?

I started my hospitality career working as a Barista for eight months in one of the busiest coffee outlets in Mumbai. I then worked as waiter with the Taj Group for eight years in India and Maldives. I worked in a number of roles at varying properties including bar manager at Taj Exotica Maldives, Sommelier at one and Only Reethi Rah and now my best role yet, Cellar Master at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.

It is hard work, however, I am enjoying every minute of it.

The competition

Why did you choose to take part in the barista cup?

I have never been involved in a competition like this before and since I started my career as a barista, I thought it was an appropriate choice. This was a way of getting back in touch with that part of my life and reminding myself of how I got here.

What did it feel like to win?

Winning the competition in Sri Lanka was a very proud moment for me. I reflected on what it took to get me there and it made me realize there cannot be success without time and hard work.

Advice for future participants and other baristas?

Take time to develop your skills and try to improve your product the best you can. Finding resources to develop your trade is much easier now. For example YouTube videos have helped me a lot to improve my milk frothing skills. Search for a better way to make your cappuccino.

Always Seek Knowledge.

Name of winning drink: 

FnB Masters Winner Rakesh Shetty, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

I A.M. Latte

Inspiration for the drink:

There is an increasing demand for non-dairy alternatives like soya and rice milk. I wanted to do something different and a bit upscale with almonds and Macadamia milk. Yes, it takes a lot of time to prepare, however, the best things always do.

Ingredients:

150 grams blanched almonds.
1/2 cup/50 grams macadamia nuts.
1/3 cup/40 grams pitted dates.
Espresso and 1 liter filtered water.

Soak the above items in filtered water for a minimum of 6 hours and blend and strain into a fine milk like consistency

Method:

Espresso 70 ml

Almond Macadamia Milk 160 ml

Place these ingredients in a blender for 30 secs

Pour in a tall glass filled with ice and garnish with almond flakes

About the F&B Masters

The F&B Masters is an internal competition open to employees within Hilton Worldwide properties across the Asia Pacific.

The competition was successfully held in Southeast Asia in 2014 and, with growing momentum and interest, it has now been extended across the Asia Pacific this year. The F&B Masters is a multifaceted competition that aims to discover, develop and celebrate the best food and beverage talent within Hilton Worldwide properties across the Asia Pacific.

The competition has four different categories.

  • The culinary cup
  • The pastry cup
  • The bar cup
  • The barista Cup

Three rounds of finals are staged at the hotel, country and a regional level. The competition kicked-off from July 2015 and will culminate with regional finals in February 2016. #HiltonFnBStars

Anantara Launches Healthy New You 2016

Balance Yourself and Embrace Wellness during your
Maldivian Holiday

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, the luxury hospitality brand for modern travellers, invites guests to embrace health and wellness as an integral element of their luxury holiday with its 2016 Balance series of resort-based events and activities in the Maldives. Balance, Anantara’s innovative wellness concept, offers total flexibility with a variety of health, wellbeing and healing elements, along with the freedom to relax and indulge to suit each guest’s personal preferences and time, complemented by Anantara Spa’s award-winning expertise.

Aerial view, Anantara Kihavah Villas
Anantara Kihavah Villas

Inviting guests to put themselves on a path of wellness whilst being a world away from home, Anantara Resorts in the Maldives promote health and holistic wellbeing with a collection of resort events and activities. Under the Healthy New You 2016 resolution, Balance by Anantara enables you to start the year with a wellness boost that transforms into long-term lifestyle changes. Throughout the year, guests will be able to book private consultations and treatments with visiting practitioners, take healthy cooking classes and incorporate juicing into their diet, as well as leaving no excuse for idleness with Anantara’s complimentary gym kit service.

Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa
Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa

Mind – Carla Lindstrom

De-stress and be more mindful for the year ahead with Carina Lindstrom as she takes residency at Anantara Dhigu Resort and Anantara Kihavah Villas, offering subtle energy healing modalities, both ancient and modern. One of Carla’s three signature treatments is Deep Relax Body & Mind; a powerful but light touch technique that allows the mind to settle into a deep relaxed Theta state. Slow brain wave movements and a combination of energy and intuitive healing lead to improved clarity of mind and mind-body connection that can empower you to see your life differently and create a healthier view of your life, body and changes you can make.

Coach, Entrepreneur, Facilitator and Intuitive Healer, Carina Lindstrom will be at Anantara Dhigu Resort from 22 January to 23 February, and Anantara Kihavah Villas from 23 February to March 22.

Carina Lindstrom
Carina Lindstrom

Body – Toby Maguire

Experience a wealth of powerful natural benefits through ancient Eastern practices – whether your goal is to create a healthier lifestyle and more positive way of thinking, to revitalise your energy levels or to let go of stress. Visiting Practitioner Toby Maguire has been treating clients with Eastern healing arts for nearly 20 years and spent 13 years living and studying holistic modalities in South East Asia. He has worked with Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists, premier league football players and members of the England rugby team. Depending on the client’s’ needs, Toby uses a combination of acupuncture, massage, hypnotherapy, meditation, nutritional advice or life coaching to bring the body and mind back into balance.

Anantara Dhigu Over Water Thai Massage Sala
Anantara Dhigu Over Water Thai Massage Sala

Corporate Wellness Trainer and Natural Health Consultant, Toby Maguire will be at Anantara Dhigu Resort from 16 March to 13 April, and Anantara Kihavah Villas from 13 April to 28 April.

Toby Maguire
Toby Maguire

Fitness – Lifestyle Health Retreats

Strengthen and revitalise your body. Refresh and empower your mind. Balance and uplift your spirit and return home looking and feeling better than ever after a Lifestyle Health Retreat at Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli. Based in Thailand, their innovative programmes combine three key, proven elements: diet and nutrition, fitness and yoga, massage and relaxation. Achieve highly successful results and deepen your yoga and fitness regimes with their daily activities on Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli’s pristine sands and turquoise waters with Yoga Retreats from 15 April to 22 April and Fitness & Weight Loss Retreats from 20 May to 27 May.

Anantara Dhigu Resort Gym
Anantara Dhigu Resort Gym

Everyday Balance Wellness & Nutrition

Motivating fitness levels while relaxing at Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli, a Kit Concierge amenity does not allow for any excuses. Offering complimentary work-out clothes and a daily laundry service, Anantara is encouraging guests to make the most of their health-related facilities and initiatives. Take only your workout shoes in your luggage and pick up your Kit Concierge work-out clothes from the resort spa at Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli. These are yours for the duration of your stay so that you can take advantage of the fully equipped Fitness Centres and Anantara’s comprehensive programme of activities under Balance Wellness. Be it morning Yoga, afternoon meditation, evening workouts or simply power walking the beaches circumnavigating the island. Alternatively at Anantara Kihavah Villas, pack only your fitness clothes and hire your running shoes at the gym.

No matter which Anantara resort you choose in the Maldives, start the day with healthy breakfast choices and a host of nutritious Balance Wellness juices. Healthy-food fanatics can sign up with Anantara’s Spice Spoons cooking classes to learn a range of Japanese detox recipes and healthy cooking techniques from our expert Chefs sharing their practical and delicious ways to eat clean.

Anantara Spice Spoons Cooking Class
Anantara Spice Spoons Cooking Class

As part of Healthy New You 2016, all guests are invited to use the #anantarabalance hashtag to share the new activities they’ve taken up or tried to improve their wellbeing and bring Balance into their lives, during and after their stay at Anantara in the Maldives. To select your Anantara Maldives resort of choice and book your Balance Wellness activities while staying in the resort, visit www.anantara.com

Pasta Point

Pasta Point is the wave-machine of the North Malé Atoll. It’s consistent, handles NE-SE winds, the waves typically stay in the 4-6 feet range, but even in 1-2 foot waves it still breaks exactly the same. The former home to the Sri Lankan Airlines Pro World Qualifying Series (WQS) event, Pasta Point takes its name from an Italian resort (Thari Village) once located there (which had a tendency for dumping leftover noodles in the surf).

The first takeoff section leads to what is termed Macaroni Bowl, which spits you out for a cutback or some top turns before the fast and shallow end section known as Lockjaws—a subtle reminder to avoid the shallow reef of this section if you want to continue enjoying your macaroni.

The best time for Pasta is between May and August (Southeast Monsoon, locally called the Hulhangu Moosun) when the south to southwest trade winds keep the winds offshore and the southern swells are most consistent.

The Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives resort now located on shore claims exclusive access to the break and only allows 30 surfers to stay there at a time.

Lhohis (Lohis)

Lhohis is named after the island Lhohifushi, later to become Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi resort. Being host to 5 World Qualifying Series (WQS) O’Neil ‘Deep Blue Open’ 2001-2005, Lhohis is a longer wave than Pasta.

Special surf packages are available at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi which includes accommodation, speedboat transfers and special surfing packages.

In order to enhance the surfing experience and improve the service levels to the surfers, the resort has taken numerous measures and enhancements which have helped it bag the award for the ‘Leading Surf Resort’ in the Maldives in 2015.

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Honky’s

Honky’s (Thamburudhoo Left) – Adjacent to Sultans on the eastern reef of the North Malé Atoll, this break starts small and increases in size and intensity as it wraps 90 degrees around the island. A 1.8-metre (6-foot) wave on the takeoff ends up at least 2.4 metres (8 feet) on the end section, called Fred’s Ledge. There are long rides and tubes through all sections – best on low tides unless the swell is huge. The best months for this wave are February, March and April (Which is affected by strong currents in the Southwest monsoon from May to October).

Sultans

Sultans (Thamburudhoo Right) – Located on an uninhabited island on the eastern reef of North Malé Atoll, this is one of the most consistent waves of Malé Atoll, and never closes out, even on the biggest swells. The takeoff is a steep outside peak called Phantoms, which slingshots into a very long, walled, super-fast section called the Pinnacles, over 1 metre (4 feet) high. All three sections can be thrilling tubes. Rides are 91–137 metres (298–449 feet).JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyaHR0cCUzQSUyRiUyRm1hZ2ljc2Vhd2VlZC5jb20lMkZTdWx0YW5zLVN1cmYtUmVwb3J0JTJGODY5JTJGRW1iZWQlMkYlMjIlMjB3aWR0aCUzRCUyMjgwMCUyMiUyMGhlaWdodCUzRCUyMjYwMCUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRQ==

Cokes

Known as a world class ‘right’ that breaks off an island housing a Coca-Cola factory (also referred to as Colas). Rated as the hardest breaking wave in North Malé Atoll with a hollow, pounding right-hander, and Cokes is the best big wave spot in the area. Guest houses on the nearby island of Thulusdhoo add to the often crowded vibe.

The location of the break makes Cokes consistently bigger than anywhere else, but that benefit comes with the price of being more susceptible to the southwest wind. It’s ideal during a straight south swell with northwest winds and head high to double overhead waves.

This is one of those waves you must definitely add to your boat trip schedule. Coke enjoyed mostly during the months from March to October that bring both consistency and size, peaking in July and August (South West Monsoon, also known locally as Hulhangu Moosun).

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