WIOTTO Interview – Maldives Is the Best Solution for Holidays

The Maldives is one of the most famous paradise islands. There are a lot of rumors about them, primarily related to the fact that only millionaires and celebrities can afford such a vacation, and in general, you should not consider them as an option for a vacation. And if we tell you that this is not so for a long time. And sunbathing on coral sand is not as expensive today as many people imagine. To figure out why the Maldives is the best solution for a vacation, an expert in exotic island holidays - wiotto.com , represented by Tetiana Smirnova, WIOTTO's VIP client manager, will help.

- Before moving on to the main issue of our conversation, it is worth clarifying a few nuances. The Maldives is not for every tourist, is it? I do not mean in terms of cost, but for the type of vacation.

Yes you are right. People prefer to relax in different ways. For some, rest is hiking in the mountains, for others - visiting museums and exhibitions. The list goes on. Mostly, a vacation in the Maldives is a vacation in its classic sense: a beach, warm sea, sun, cocktails, relaxation and delicious food. Often this is why people come to the Maldives.

- But, many countries can boast of a beach, sun and sea. Why is the Maldives so attractive? How are they better than other resorts?

Good question. At first glance, this is what it looks like. But only those who have not been to the Maldives think so. I will name 8 reasons:

1. First nuance. Rest on a small island is different from the big million islands, and even more so resorts on the continents. Often, an island in the Maldives is a piece of land measuring 300m by 700m, surrounded by a turquoise lagoon, with coral sand and lush greenery. The amazing beauty of the island! This is really the same picture from the advertisement of the Bounty bar. In addition, the island can be bypassed in 20-60 minutes - this adds zest to the rest. By the way, the wiotto.com catalog has a “Small Island” filter. Our analytics shows that tourists are in great demand for holidays on a small island - away from the hustle and bustle, for solitude and relaxation.
2. Coral sand. Very few beaches in the world can boast coral sand. And the Maldives is a favourite. The uniqueness of the sand lies in the fact that it does not heat up much, and even at noon it is comfortable to walk barefoot on it.
3. Stably +28…+32 degrees of heat of water and air all year round. Even during the rainy season, which is not as popular as the dry season, the Maldives is always the perfect temperature for swimming.
4. Exclusive service. It is no secret that in the Maldives the service is brought to the ideal and the resorts really compete with each other, who will provide better and more unique services in the field of recreation. This is not only about luxury-level resorts with personal butlers. But also about ordinary resorts, where the staff will do everything possible for the perfect holiday for visitors. From a warm welcome at the airport to personal wishes at the villa.
5. House reef. Despite the global problems of the state of coral reefs, there are still places in the Maldives where you can literally plunge into the unique underwater world, which is filled with all the colors of the rainbow, where life really boils: manta rays, reef sharks, whale sharks, fish - parrot, clown fish, butterfly fish... It is important to say that in the Maldives, the state and businesses are striving to preserve the fragile ecosystem of the underwater world. Since 2009, the areas of Baa Atoll have become a protected marine reserve, and a few years later, Hanifaru Bay also became a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hanifaru is worth a visit for amazing snorkeling. Many resorts arrange excursions to the reserve. And some of the islands are located directly on the territory of Hanifaru or next to it. For example Vakkaru, Dusit Thani and others. Some hotels have initiated programs for the conservation and development of reefs. For example, the coral regeneration project at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi. Visitors of the resort can plant corals themselves and see the whole museum underwater. If you have never tried snorkeling, the Maldives is the perfect place to enjoy all the benefits of this type of holiday. After the transfer question, the house reef in the Maldives is the most popular question we get asked in the online chat. Since not all islands of the Maldives have a good lagoon and a really lively house reef. I invite you to our online chat. Our managers will share the list of islands with the best house reef in the Maldives.

- Let me interrupt you here. It turns out that not everything is so perfect in the Maldives and there are islands, for example, with a bad house reef? Does that mean your vacation can be ruined?

If the purpose of a visit to the Maldives is good snorkeling, then yes. It is worth considering carefully the choice of resort. This is what our team is working for. But many tourists come with absolutely no interest in the underwater world. And for them, the Maldives also has something to offer: romantic dinners on the beach, various sports - from windsurfing to ice skating, spa treatments, excursions, fishing, children's entertainment, delicious and varied cuisine, a visit to the observatory for stargazing (for example, at the Anantara Kihavah hotel), boduberu evenings, a local musical instrument, and much more.

- Let's get back to the reasons why you should choose the Maldives.

1. Seaplane transfer. The Maldives is a scattering of more than a thousand islands. The main international airport is located in the capital of the country - Male. It is here that tourists arrive, and then go to the selected resort. The islands that are closer to Male can be reached in 10-20 minutes by boat. The remote islands are delivered by seaplane. It is an amazing experience to fly low over the water and observe from above that very scattering of green islands surrounded by lagoons. The plane is small, takes off and lands on the water ... it's very interesting. Some resorts, due to the popularity of such a transfer, in addition issue a certificate of crossing the equator. Departing from Male to some islands, seaplanes really cross the equator line. Not all exotic islands can offer this. Except Indonesia. By the way, we have hotels in Indonesia in our catalog too.
2. Water villas. And even underwater. The Maldives were the first to build water villas and have achieved perfection in this. Modest and obscenely rich, big and small, glass-bottomed with overwater hammocks, infinity pool and Jacuzzi… and even bedrooms with picture windows underwater. The Maldives has no equal in water villas. Water villa is the most popular type of villa. We have such a filter in the catalog.
3. Underwater restaurants. These restaurants are really located under water, at a depth of several meters. They have panoramic windows - to watch the colorful underwater world. The dishes are prepared by the best chefs in the world. There are currently only six such restaurants in the Maldives. They are truly unique.

Separately, all of these factors can be found in other resorts in one form or another, but it is their symbiosis that creates a unique atmosphere of paradise vacation, which exists only in the Maldives.

- You mentioned the wiotto.com analytics when talking about the fact that tourists often want to relax on a small island. How and where do you get this data?

Our team uses several sources.

• Firstly, it is a CRM system integrated with the wiotto.com website. It, like the site itself, was created by our developers. The main task of the system is just the systematization of the data received during the booking, and in general the work of the entire site. In fact, our CRM system is unique and was created taking into account the specifics of the exotic island booking market. Many are surprised to learn that the market for exotic islands is different from, say, booking hotels in Europe. We faced this when we just started working with the Maldives. And, frankly, we had to work hard to automate everything. I know that many agencies still count everything and keep records manually.
• Google analytics. It also shows well. For example, it helps to predict sales peak dates. This is how we work with regular customers. For example, we already know that the beginning of May is redeemed in December. Accordingly, we offer our customers to book May in November. There are many such examples.
• Analysis of requests in online chat. To be honest, at first we were skeptical about the chat as a source of useful information, because we were afraid that there might be a large number of off-topic chats. However, online chat data is correlated with information obtained in other ways.
• Reviews of tourists. We have many regular customers who are happy to share their impressions of the rest, compare different islands, hotels. New customers also leave their reviews on the website, in social networks, or in correspondence with managers. In addition, our team also has a lot of impressions about holidays in the Maldives.

Everything together emerges into a coherent picture. It is important to note that building a system for analyzing these sources and using the information received is no less time-consuming process than creating a website.

- Do you mean that creating a booking site is not an easy process?

Yes, often the agency simply makes a page with a list of hotels and offers a form for sending a request, and then it contacts the hotels and calculates the price. With us, the visitor immediately sees the cost. Resorts have their own specific system for pricing vacations. It has many variables that are technically difficult to implement, given that the result is needed online, in real time. No one will wait 10 minutes until the price of the villa appears on the site according to the specified parameters. One of the many examples: the resort decided to arrange a promotion: every 5th night in beach villas with a pool is free. Only for the period from such and such to such a number. And for children from 7 to 14 years old, free meals in a la carte restaurants, but on condition that the family rests for more than 10 days. And there can be dozens of such variables for only one hotel. This, by the way, explains why the cost for the same services can be different if you book for the same number of days, but on different dates.

- By the way about the cost of rest. This is probably a key factor in deciding to visit the Maldives?

Probably. Many are mistaken when they think that the Maldives is a vacation only for very wealthy people. But I can definitely say that even budget tourists can visit the Maldives. To do this, they choose local islands where the local population lives, and guesthouses, and not luxury resorts. In this case, you can meet the 1-2 thousand dollars for a week for two. But even a resort can be chosen so that the trip will cost 3-4 thousand dollars for two for a week. And it will be a really good hotel, a great house reef and a lot of impressions. At the same time, the Maldives is also ideal for wealthy people - those who are looking for not only exclusive service, comfort, but also privacy. You can even rent an entire island. Anything is possible in the Maldives!

The wiotto.com team invites you to visit the directory of resorts in the Maldives! The site has not only a wide selection of hotels, but also very competitive prices.