Originally Posted by
chinmoylad
I keep thinking Maldives is a saturated market but clearly resorts don't - they still build them, and people still go.
The OP did say there's 50% discount available on those rates, so those are just published rates. Still pricey, but for the size of the villas + pool etc maybe understandable (definitely comparable with CBR / O&O). Plus Soneva currently doesn't have an overwater option there.
The people doing development in the Maldives definitely think there is a lot of room for development. The Amilla Fushi people are developing 550 (?) rooms across two new properties. I lost track of the number of times I heard "There are 2000 islands in the Maldives and only 200 of them are currently inhabited." There is no doubt a lot of the additional development will not be the luxury/ultra-luxury segment, but it is still a ton of additional capacity. Seems to me that with the level of proposed expansion (there are what, another 15-20 resorts opening this year alone) that differentiation becomes even more important than ever.