David Keen on ‘Brand Maldives’

Sunday 5th of April 2020

David Keen on ‘Brand Maldives’

QUO CEO David Keen spoke to Hotelier Maldives about challenges facing the destination. QUO is an expert agency that guides clients along every step of their branding journey. He talked on the power of perception and the need for strategic positioning in light of shifting tourist demographics.

David Keen says that Maldives is changing as a destination. ‘It’s following the course of Bali and Phuket and will no longer be perceived as exclusively high-end. Instead, the Maldives is transitioning to a volume destination with high-end products alongside resorts serving larger numbers of guests at lower price points.’

According to him, the natural beauty, having some of the best diving opportunities in the world as well as the unusual cultural structure, with the local population not living among tourists, but on nearby islands, are the most remarkable things about the country. ‘each resort island has its own carefully crafted sense of place, and tourists find themselves travelling between worlds asmthey cross from one shore to the next.’

In order for Maldives to remain as a leading travel destination, elements of the nation’s heritage and culture should be integrated into the tourist experience. ‘It’s time the world meets the real Maldives: a deeply proud Islamic culture with an extraordinary history as a trading post at the confluence of three continents. A fertile ground for storytelling, where inspiring oral histories run deep.’

As the country soon marks 50 years of tourism, the most memorable moments the destination has witnessed includes the many world’s-firsts achieved in the Maldives: the first underwater spa at Huvafen Fushi; the first underwater nightclub at Niyama; the first underwater restaurant and first underwater villa, both at Hilton’s Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort. Further, the development of Huvafen Fushi and launch of Manta Air was also stated.