PARADISESTRETCH OF PARADISESTRETCH OF PARADISESTRETCH OF PARADISESTRETCH OF PARADISESTRETCH OF PARADISE
WORDS: DOMINIC ELLIS
I
n the hour before departing
Malé, I spotted three Gulf
widebody planes, one SriLankan
A330, an Aero ot aircra and
Air India B737 – all twisting
and turning like cumbersome
whale sharks around the
single, water- anked runway. Velana
International Airport is a bit of a time
warp, outwardly and inwardly looking
much the same as when I rst came
here in 2003, though in a commercial
sense the Maldives is unrecognisable.
Change is in the air, or more
precisely, on the ground. A second
runway is complete, adjacent to the
rst. Etihad sent down an A380 to
mark the completion last September,
indicating its superjumbo handling
capabilities, but we await an o cial
launch date. A $350 million passenger
terminal is also in the o ng.
ey can’t open too soon. Alongside
alleviating operational pressures,
adding slots and the prospect of
more premium seats, the capacity
boost will be equally welcomed by
hotel operators and businesses in the
hemmed-in capital city, providing
foundations for future growth.
Last year’s visitor numbers are
expected to weigh in around 1.
million and there are now over 130
resorts – with around the same
number in the pipeline.
China, Germany and the UK
spearhead the tourism charge though
while the Chinese lead the table with
266,376 visitors, their numbers have
been sliding (down 23,000 2018 on
2017) while UK is on the rise (up
10,625). Sandwiched between the
Asian and European titans, the Middle
East accounts for a small 4 per cent
but it remains eagerly courted in terms
of revenue spends. Gulf carriers are
busy funneling European passengers
through their Middle Eastern hubs,
with loads evidently healthy in the
current ‘low’ season as much as the
peak December-to-March period.CHILL AND PLAY AT NIYAMA
Our week of escapism began with
a seaplane transfer to Niyama
Private Islands Maldives. We passed