Aitken Spence invests US $ 25 m in Adaaran Vadoo

Saliya RUPASINGHE in Male

Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC will invest US $ 25 million in Adaaran ‘Prestige’ Vadoo, a 50 luxury water bungalows in the Maldives. The operations will commence next February.

General Manager Marketing, for Adaaran Resorts M. U. Lantra said Aitken Spence operates eight resorts out of which three are up market five star Boutique Resorts, employing 1500.

“Out of this 50 per cent are Maldivians, 35 per cent are Sri Lankans. The balance is drawn up from Indians, Bangladeshis, Nepalese and Indonesians,” he said.

He added that their main markets are Italy, UK, Germany, France, Japan, China, Russia, Switzerland, Korea and Austria.

Lantra with over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry said that unlike in Sri Lanka Maldivian hotels are of very high standard. “The single Island concept for a hotel here is a much sought after attraction for the European market.

Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC’s brand is also the fourth largest hotel operator in the Maldives with eight properties. They also operate leading resorts in several countries in South Asia and the Middle East, and is the leading resort operator in Sri Lanka with nine properties.

Maldives now offers 89 resorts with a capacity of 17,802 beds and the country attracted 675,000 tourists last year.