Excitement is building for the 2nd annual Dhiraagu Guesthouses Conference to be held as organizers Maldives Getaways makes their final preparations for the prestigious event aimed specifically at the guesthouse market. As a major component of Guesthouses Maldives, the conference aims to connect the budget travel community. Dhiraagu Guesthouses Maldives Conference will be hosted on the 23rd of September (Saturday) from 8 am to 5 pm at Paradise Island Resort and Spa.
Speakers include Mr Asitha Jayawardena and Ms Pemindee Gamage both Account Managers at Booking.com where he is set to speak about attracting tourists to the Maldives addressing the issue of growing number of beds in the country.
Another notable attendee would be Ms Shaahina Ali, Chairperson for Parley Maldives where they are set to launch the Parley for the Oceans Maldives campaign on responsible disposal of plastics.
Mr Abhay Khanna who is the senior market manager for Maldives at Expedia Inc. is also set to address those in attendance on how guesthouses could use online travel agents to grow tourism in local islands and educating them on how Expedia could be a tool for growth.
Mr Vaibhav Garg is also set to speak about guest handling and training for guesthouses who serves as the Cluster Director of Talent and Culture for AccorHotels Maldives. The level of expertise present at the Conference would guide guesthouses to run their properties in a more efficient, responsible and beneficial manner.
Another speaker would be Ms Shaira Saleem where she would speak how tourists could explore the Maldivian culture and how cultural tourism could go on to be the next big thing in the tourism industry of Maldives.
Lastly, Ms Shoko Noda the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to the Maldives is set to speak about the importance of sustainable tourism and supporting the local community.
The conference will link leading figures in the guesthouse industry with tourism sector stakeholders such as tour operators and hotel suppliers. A total of 200 guesthouse proprietors and managers have confirmed their participation. Representatives of top online travel agents such as Expedia and Booking.com have been lined up as participants for the conference. Apart from industry experts, International and local budget based agents solely focused on the budget industry of Maldives are expected to be in attendance at the conference.
“Guesthouses Conference” is a one-day event held annually with business meetings, education sessions, networking events and interactive evening functions held exclusively for the guesthouse industry. This is an invitation-only event with participants carefully selected, personally invited and verified against our strict qualification criteria. By the end of the conference, everyone will walk away feeling satisfied after one day of networking and make new business connections.
