Marriott International has taken its Maldives resort portfolio to the Indian travel trade through a three-city roadshow covering Mumbai, Ahmedabad and New Delhi, highlighting the destination’s importance to its India market strategy.
The roadshow brought together travel trade partners, media and tourism stakeholders for updates on Marriott’s Maldives portfolio, its India-based destination sales structure, recent resort developments and planned additions to its island resort offering.
The programme forms part of Marriott International’s efforts to strengthen engagement with Indian travel professionals and build awareness of its Maldives resorts among the country’s outbound travel trade.
Dedicated India sales team supports Maldives business
Peter Foreman, Senior Director, Sales & Distribution, Singapore and Maldives, Marriott International emphasised the collaboration and Marriott’s long-term commitment to the Indian travel market.
“This is a milestone moment for us at Marriott International. It is the first time that all eight of our Maldivian resorts have come together to collectively visit India,” Foreman said.
He noted that India has consistently ranked among Marriott’s leading source markets and said the roadshow across New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru was designed to strengthen relationships with key travel trade partners.
“We want our travel trade community to not just know about our resorts individually, but to understand the diversity and depth of our Maldives portfolio as a whole,” he said. “This initiative enables our partners to meet resort representatives face-to-face, receive updates directly from the source and build stronger synergies.”
Reflecting on the Delhi leg of the programme, Foreman said the roadshow had begun positively, with a strong turnout from travel trade partners and media.
“We have had a fantastic start. We hosted a vibrant gathering of trade partners and media and shared exciting developments, such as the opening of our second JW Marriott property in the Maldives, JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort, and the reopening of W Maldives following a full-scale renovation,” he said.
Foreman also highlighted Marriott’s upcoming luxury development, Bvlgari Resort Ranfushi, which he said is scheduled to debut in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Describing the roadshow as a fast-paced programme of consecutive city engagements, Foreman said its value extended beyond product updates.
“The real highlight is that our partners get to discover resorts they may not have worked with before, all under the trusted Marriott umbrella,” he said.
The team comprises Vaishali Shah, Market Director of Destination Sales – India, based in New Delhi; Rahul Gupta, Account Director, Destination Sales, based in Bengaluru; Reena Sharma, Account Director, Destination Sales, based in New Delhi; and Karishma Kazi, Account Director, Destination Sales, based in Mumbai.
The India-based structure is intended to strengthen relationships with travel advisers and other trade partners while supporting sales and destination awareness for Marriott’s Maldives resorts.
India remains an important source market
Foreman said India continues to be an important source market for the Maldives as well as for Marriott’s portfolio of resorts across the archipelago.
Marriott currently promotes a broad collection of Maldives properties spanning brands including The St. Regis, The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Le Méridien, The Westin and Sheraton. Its official Maldives portfolio page highlights the range of resorts available across the destination.
For Indian travel advisers, the portfolio provides a range of luxury and lifestyle options across different resort brands, allowing the company to address varied traveller segments while maintaining a substantial presence in one of the Indian outbound market’s established island destinations.
JW Marriott Kaafu strengthens the portfolio
The roadshow also highlighted Marriott’s recent resort developments in the Maldives, including JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort.
Located in Kaafu Atoll, the resort features 80 private pool villas and is approximately a 15-minute speedboat journey from Velana International Airport. Marriott describes the property as a luxury island resort focused on relaxation, family experiences, wellness and marine activities.
Its facilities include multiple restaurants and bars, Spa by JW, a fitness centre, swimming pools and a dedicated kids’ club. The resort also offers activities including snorkelling, scuba diving and other water-based experiences.
Marriott’s current Maldives portfolio also includes W Maldives, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa, Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa, The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort and Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, among other properties listed by the company.
W Maldives renovation and future expansion
The roadshow further highlighted the recent relaunch of W Maldives following a major renovation, alongside Marriott’s future development pipeline.
According to the information presented during the India roadshow, Bvlgari Resort Ranfushi is planned to join Marriott’s Maldives portfolio in July 2027.
The planned resort would add another luxury brand to Marriott’s presence in the destination and further expand the company’s Maldives offering for international leisure travellers.
Strengthening trade engagement
The three-city programme underscores the role of the Indian travel trade in Marriott International’s Maldives strategy.
By taking its Maldives portfolio directly to travel professionals in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and New Delhi, Marriott is seeking to deepen trade relationships, communicate product developments and provide agents with updated information on its growing collection of island resorts.
With established properties, recently introduced resorts and further development in the pipeline, the Maldives remains an important component of Marriott International’s leisure portfolio in the Indian Ocean.
