CD Traveller » Maldives

Where the Experts Holiday: Martin Anslow of Escape Events

Editor — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:03:33 +0000

Martin Anslow

What do you like to do on holiday?

Diving and trekking

Where did you last travel?

Burma

Do you know where you’re going next?

Maldives

Of all the places you’ve been to, what was your favourite and why?

Vietnam in 1990 – as it was so untouched by mainstream tourism

Which destination do you wish to travel to but haven’t been there yet?

Antarctica

In your own area, what would you recommend tourists see that isn’t in the travel
guides?

Come to Adventure Travel Live to meet people that can inspire you to do new trips

How do you plan a vacation? (guidebooks/website/agents/friends etc)

Friends recommendations and guidebooks

Where do you see tourism in your destination/attraction in 10 years time?

Individual or small group experience related trips

Martin Anslow of Escape Events will be at Adventure Travel Live at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Victoria, London

BA and the Top 10 Destinations of 2010

adrian — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:45:27 +0000

British Airways has announced its list of 10 destinations that it thinks will influence you to decide where to go on your holidays next year. In any list like this you have to bear a couple of things in mind, the first being that BA flies to all the destinations it suggests and therefore that may have influenced the list. Secondly it is subjective. We don’t know how these places got on the list. Probably some “expert” decided or it coincided with a new or improved service to that destination by BA. I could be completely wrong there but, as I said, who knows. Still it is interesting to see whether our ideas match those of BA.

The list is Cape Town, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), Dubrovnik, New York, Stockholm, the Maldives and Delhi.

My first reaction to anything like this is that any recommended place has to be avoided at all costs because hoards of people will take the advice. But are people more cautious now?

Cape Town is the obvious choice because of the World Cup. Interestingly a body called ETOA (European Tour Operators Association) which is a trade body encouraging tourism into Europe has said that tourism before and after the Olympics in Beijing was markedly down both before and after the Games. The same occurred in Sydney in 2000. Does the same logic hold for the impact of the World Cup? Vancouver holds the Winter Olympics so it may be affected as well.

Istanbul is one of the European Capitals of Culture next year and all previous capitals have done well, maybe because the event is spaced over a full year. Punta Cana, according to BA, is supposed to be the new playground for the rich and famous. Well that rules me out!

As for the others? Well maybe but most of us will still see Spain and France, the Algarve, Greece, Turkey (the beach resorts) and Egypt as the places likely to see us. And, of course, the UK.

As for my top tip? I wouldn’t even suggest one. It could be the kiss of death!

Maldives Widens Tourist Appeal

Editor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:55:17 +0000

The Maldives has been in the news quite a lot recently. Their cabinet, you might remember, held a cabinet meeting under water to highlight the effects of climate change. When you think of the Maldives the first thought is of a luxury holiday location. Now the tourism authority is trying to encourage 3 and 4 star hotels so that there is more on offer to suit every pocket. Independent travellers like backpackers are also welcome and will find it easier to get around as new infrastructure projects are completed. British Airways recently announced a direct flight and there are lots of flights via the Gulf.

One emphasis is now on community tourism where the profits of tourism will remain in that local community. Up until recently there has been criticism that some developers have taken all their profits away from the country rather than it benefiting the country.

Interestingly they have two projects they are developing which you might find as surprising as I did. The first is link with Cornwall’s Eden Project and create something like that in the country. The second is that there is a link with the big and successful Hay-on-Wye literary festival where, for 2 days, environmental writers can get together.( A longer version will be uploaded after WTM)

Fiji and Low Carbon Travel

Editor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:06:22 +0000

We hear a lot about the effects of travel on the amount of carbon emissions created. Being sceptical along the lines of Tom Fuller who writes a really interesting environmental column in the Los Angeles Examiner (freely available via the net), I am not an ardent proponent but neither do I believe that life stays the same. There is another climate change meeting coming up in Copenhagen shortly and Fiji has rather stolen some of the thunder by declaring that, as an entire nation, they will become a low carbon destination.

They have started with trying to get an agreement with everyoneone, hoteliers, airlines, attractions, business etc and they plan a pilot project covering renewable energy and it’s efficient use. That is still 15 months away but it does sound like Fiji is trying to do something instead of wringing its hands and blaming others.

This didn’t get a lot of publicity unlike the underwater cabinet meeting that was held by the Maldives government a few weeks back. But will it help? 25% of Fiji’s GDP is due to tourism. Last May a report from the World Economic Forum said that countries that offer and implement sustainability will be more likely to attract tourists who are growing more environmentally aware.

But in the UK we have just seen summer holiday figures suggesting European visits declined and long haul grew. Long haul means a bigger carbon footprint. (Even more so when a recent A380 flew from Singapore to London virtually three quarters empty) Will the environmentally conscious travel all the way to Fiji because of what Fijians plan or will they turn away saying their own personal carbon footfall will make such a trip alienable to their beliefs? And probably, the rest will be dictated to by what has generally always been the case, a desire to go and the price.

Attracting more Tourists to Oman, Thailand and the Maldives

adrian — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:51:00 +0000

Tourists mean money. Tourists mean economic growth so in the straightened times we find ourselves in, some countries are doing their utmost to get us to visit them.
In the Middle East, neighbours are trying to clone Dubai’s success. Oman aims to quadruple the number of tourists visiting there to 12 million by 2020 and has therefore announced it is spending $10 billion on airport expansion, 10 new resort developments and a major convention centre. Will Oman look like Dubai does now in a few years? Perhaps I should see Oman in the next year or two so that I can see what I am told by people who’ve been there, is a prettier and more traditional place.
Thailand had been hit by opposing political factions who virtually closed Bangkok last Decemeber and have disrupted an international gathering in Pattaya and led to some ugly incidents in Bangkok this month- at least according to TV and newspaper reports. So the Thai government reacted to the issues in December by waiving all visa fees until June 4th this year. After the latest troubles will it extend it again? Usefully for those of us who have had to change planes at Bangkok before going on to places like Australia, it is now possible to leave the airport for a few hours’ sightseeing without needing a visa. This year the tourism authority is hoping 750,000 of us Brits will go there as part of the 14 million tourists they expect.
Think of the Maldives and the impression is of warmth, shimmering waters and sun drenched beaches. And its a bit expensive and posh. But this is going to change (not the weather or the attractions but the expensiveness). The government is going to allow the building of 2 and 3 star hotels as well as guesthouses. And some will be built on uninhabited islands. The idea is to attract a wider market and those backpackers and students who head for India and Sri Lanka but stay away from what has always been seen as a luxury resort.
So in the standard brochures of five years from now, will Oman and the Maldives become common offerings and join Thailand?

A New Home for the Maldives?

adrian — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:22:00 +0000

The Guardian ran a story yesterday that was widely picked up by press around the world.
Although there seems no confirmation on the website of the new president, Mohammed Nasheen, The Guardian says that because of climate change, the islanders will start looking for land elsewhere that they can move to if climate change causes their islands to be flooded.
Most of the 1200 plus islands ( about 570 miles south of India) that make up the Maldives are only about 4 and a half feet (1.5 metres) above sea level so are very susceptable to water levels.
It appears that Nasheen favours India or Sri Lanka as potential new homes because the culture, climate and foods are similar but, apparantly, Australia is also on the list.
We are getting used to countries buying up companies, football clubs and the like but not huge tracks of land for resettlement. Given their reliance on the sea, fishing, golden sands and fine sunny weather, and considering what the weather has been like in the U.K. of late, I can’t see Nasheen rushing to bolster our housing market by buying over here!