Cocoa Island in the Maldives launches New Holistic Health Packages for 2008

Cocoa Island is COMO Hotels and Resorts' private island property in the Maldives. With everything designed to maximise a guest's sense of escape - empty horizon views, a still lagoon and powder-white beach - it's a perfect place to address issues of well-being, supported by spacious, meditative accommodation in calming whites, healthful cuisine and quietly efficient service. The resort has a foot-in-the-sand Retreat offering a carefully edited selection of meaningful treatments, for mind and body.

Taking this health-giving purpose further for 2008, the resort has introduced four 'paths' comprising a day's suggested treatments to purify, rejuvenate, relax and restore.

Kuoni Long-haul Report Sees Maldives Hold Onto Number One Place For 2007 As Tailor Made Business Grows

At the launch of its annual long-haul report, leading specialist tour operator Kuoni Travel announced that the Maldives has retained its Number 1 position as the favourite long-haul destination both for 2007 and going forward to 2008. Also at the top of the table for 2007, Thailand remains at Number 2, Egypt has climbed one place to Number 3 and Kenya and Dubai have retained the Number 4 and 5 places respectively. As predicted in last year’s report, China, including Hong Kong, had an outstanding year in 2007, with business to mainland China up by some 60%, climbing two places to Number 6.

Looking forward to 2008, early ’hot stars’ include India, climbing two places to Number 9, with year on year growth of some 30%, South Africa, into the Top Twenty at Number 18, with growth of 14% and Bali, which is enjoying a welcome resurgence and is currently sitting at Number 19 for the year ahead.

Commenting, Nick Hughes, Managing Director, Kuoni Travel says "It’s great to see the Maldives continuing to hold its well-deserved position as the favourite long-haul destination"

"In terms of the major trends we are seeing in long-haul travel, the most apparent is the shift towards tailor making. During the past two years the tailor made share of our total business has grown by approximately 50% and is being requested on an increasing basis. Kuoni has long been recognised for its ability to personalise holidays on a very individual basis for our clients and it is this skill, supported by our in-depth knowledge, careful selection of product and excellent customer service that we believe will set us apart moving into the future, as the leading provider of top quality tailor made holidays"

For further press information on Kuoni, and copies of the long-haul report, please contact Kuoni media relations.

Maldives '07 tourist arrivals rise record 12.3 pct

Tourist arrivals in Maldives rose to 12.3 percent -- more than projected in 2007 and its highest ever -- thanks to an improvement in the infrastructure of its tourist resorts, officials said on Wednesday.

The tourist arrivals reached 675,889 in 2007 compared with 601,860 in 2006, the island's Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation said in a statement. "The increase was mainly because of the infrastructure improvement in the resorts," Abdulla Niam, deputy director of marketing at Maldives Tourism Promotion Board told Reuters.

"We opened some of the resorts last year, which closed after 2004 tsunami." Tourists resorts in the Maldives were hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which killed over 200,000 in the region. Although the islands' target last year was to achieve an 8.5 percent increase over 2006 tourists arrivals, the Maldives achieved saw a better-than-expected rise to 12.3 percent.

The Maldives Tourism Ministry said United Kingdom ranked top in 2007 with 125,158 tourist arrivals, followed by Italy with 117,246 tourists. Third highest was Germany with 72,269 tourists. The average stay of a tourist has increased to 8.5 days for 2007 from 8.0 days in 2006, the ministry said.

Renowned for its luxury resorts -- accommodation in pavilions on stilts over turquoise lagoons can cost over $1,000 a night -- white sand beaches and world class snorkelling and scuba diving, tourism is the lynchpin of the Maldives' 850 million dollar economy.

Tourism revenues grew 10 percent in 2007, contributing $240 million or 28 percent of GDP. That compared to sector growth of 45 percent the previous year as arrivals recovered from the impact of the 2004 tsunami.

Tourist arrivals fell 36 percent to 395,300 in 2005 after the disaster, but recovered to 601,860 in 2006.

Source: Reuters

Denise Van Outen takes some time out in the Maldives

TV presenter and west-end star Denise Van Outen has taken a break from her busy showbiz career with a luxury trip to the Maldives. The 33-year-old soaked up the sun on a beach of one of the archipelago's islands with a female friend, Now magazine reports.

Eyebrows were raised, however, by the absence of her new boyfriend Lee Mead, the winner of TV talent show Any Dream Will Do, which Van Outen herself presented.

The Maldives, an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, is known for its natural beauty in the form of white sand beaches and clear blue waters.