Now onto the 10th issue of the Spot Maldives community
e-newsletter

We had a great response to our first issues. As you will see below we have a few more contributors. Feel free to send us your news, classifieds or articles to news@spotmaldives.com.
We send this newsletter to over 5000 subscribers, comprised of many people who have an interest in the Maldives, be it as a local resident, employee, traveller or business. If you would like to become our online supplier and send your business on Spotmaldives.com, please sign up here.
If you would prefer not to receive it, please let us know. You will not receive any further issues.

We will be posting classifieds soon, ranging from personal buy & sell, to real estate and jobs. If you have anything you would like to see here, just send an email to News@SpotMaldives.com - it's 100% free!

Maldives to lease 19 more islands for development

	Maldivian Island

The Maldives, one of the world's most exotic holiday destinations, plans to lease 19 uninhabited coral islands to be developed as upmarket resorts, officials said on Thursday.

The new resorts will add to the 44 islands that are either to be leased out this year or at various stages of development, Tourism Minister Mahamoud Shougee told AFP by telephone from the capital of Male.

"Once the new investors are identified, they have four years to build the resort," Shougee said.

The Maldives is famed for its exclusive tourists, where guests pay thousands of dollars a night to snorkle, dive and sleep in wooden cabins built over turquoise waters.

In 2006, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's government leased 35 islands to foreign and local investors for resort development. Only two of those are currently in operation.

Read More Image

One area in which strides are being made is travel. Leading the way is Sanu Shivdasani, founder and chief executive of the Six Senses Resorts & Spas, arguably the top sustainable travel company in the world.

Shivdasani believes there is a small but growing group among the wealthy who are happy to pay a premium for rare travel experiences based on the goal of sustainability. He calls it “intelligent luxury” and while he concedes that not every visitor to a Six Senses resort embraces the eco-friendly ethos he reckons three quarters are in tune.

“They get it: they might have a private jet but they will offset the carbon emissions,” he said. In fact, all visitors get a 2% surcharge on their bill to fund Six Senses’ carbon offset fund and compensate for their journeys to and from the resort. “Nobody has ever batted an eyelid,” said Shivdasani.

Soneva Fushi, Six Senses’ original Maldives resort which opened in 1995, will this summer become carbon neutral. In two years it aims to be a carbon-free resort – effectively turning connection to the grid and producing all its energy from sustainable resources.

Read More

Forget the ‘A team’, the new ‘Green Team’ at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has been equipped with the power to save more than the good guys!

The award-winning Indian Ocean resort has implemented a new ‘we care’ course to ensure all team members are equipped with the environmental awareness to safeguard the future of the Maldives.

A training course teaches staff the facts, figures and possible impact of Global Warming on their surroundings as well updating them on the reasoning behind the existing environmental measures implemented by the resort. On completion of the course, staff members become part of the Green Team, working together to suggest and initiate further positive changes in the resort.

Carsten Schieck, General Manager commented, “The initiative forms part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island’s ongoing commitment to protecting the fragile setting of the resort for future generations. With a largely Maldivian staff, it is our duty to work together to best safeguard one of the last paradises on earth.”

Read More

Preparations are underway to hold 2008 Maldives Hotel and Trade Exhibition (MHTE) says the Maldives Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).

According to MCCI, the event is being organized by Artline Design Services Pvt. Ltd and will be held from 15, 16, and 17 of this month at Dharubaaruge.

MHTE is the biggest trade event held in Maldives and is the event which has the largest number of visitors. MCCI reports that some 109 stalls are already booked by companies from Maldives, Sri lanka, Australia, India, Thailand, Singapore and Italy. The event also includes a special pavilion from America.

This exhibition is open to all traders and especially in tourism sector related and general traders. MHTE is the ideal platform to meet the key decision makers in Tourism Industry in Maldives. Companies dealing in Resorts/Hotels Suppliers, Importers & Wholesalers, Distributors, Retailers, F & B Suppliers, Architects, Interior Specialist and Construction Companies, IT and Electronics distributors/Agents and many other trades will participate in the event.

Read More

Domestic waste is one of the prime environmental issues in the Maldives, with significant amounts clogging landfills in the beautiful Indian Ocean island nation. In order to stem the continuing problem, it is essential to educate the population on actions they can personally take to assist the mission. To this end, multi-award winning Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili have taken it upon themselves to support four local island communities to increase awareness and to provide further education on the principals of waste management.

The Waste Education and Awareness Project is a 12-month programme involving over 350 hosts from Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili, and nearly 700 residents of the surrounding island communities. The programme educates on reduction, segregation and disposal methods, and also shows how to compost household waste and effectively recycle using a variety of methods. A waste champion team will be trained in each resort to monitor and lead the initiative throughout its duration.

Read More

Launching this month in recognition of One&Only Resorts’ dedication and commitment to the weddings and honeymoon market is One&Only Celebrations. The programme is perfectly tailored for every bride and groom with a personal One&Only Celebrations Consultant to help create perfect moments for lasting memories, and the newly launched online gift registry, which allows couples to select from a menu of distinctive experiences for their honeymoon.

One&Only Online Gift Registry
Friends of the bride and groom will be able to go to www.oneandonlygift.com from 17 June 2008, to give a present to couples celebrating their nuptials, honeymoon or anniversary at a One&Only resort. From a bottle of Champagne to say ‘welcome’, a romantic dinner on the beach, a day scuba-diving or deep sea fishing, or simply a credit for their honeymoon stay, the list is endless. The marrying couple can also register online the list of One&Only gifts they would like to receive. The gift certificate is then presented to them on arrival at the resort with a personal wish from the sender.

Read More

July 6th - July 17th

Source