Praised as paradise, the Maldives that is home for striking luxury resorts, spectacular beach bungalows, pristine beaches, amazing aquamarine world, vivid underwater flora and fauna in the reefs, glorious golden sunsets and sunrises, and numerous breathtaking recreational activities, is considered as one of the most mesmeric tropical tourist destinations in the world. Bountylab Hospitality, the specialized Travel and Tourism Business Solutions provider in the Maldives has started to work closer with many brands in the Maldivian Tourism industry to uplift the industry's current affairs to the next level.

The range of hospitality industry related services that are injected from Bountylab Hospitality to the hotels and resorts in the Maldives include Creative Services, Digital Services, Media Planning Services, Communication Services, and Networking Services. Each and every service that we deliver will maintain high standard of professionalism and aim our clients' fullest satisfaction.

Our Creative Services for the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industry players in the Maldives include a wide range of services that are innovative, attention grabbing and pave the path for our clients to portray their brands as specialized and proficient within their industries. Our range of Creative Services include branding and logo designing, banner designing, graphic designing, UI designing, flash development, landing page designing, E-mail template designing, 3D productions, and micro-site designing.

Another most sought after service that we inject for the hotels in the Maldives is the Digital Services combined with Media Planning and Marketing Communication Services. The global tourism industry is uncompromisingly skewing towards the Internet Marketing practices and channels. The main cause for the drastic shift from booking hotels and resorts through travel agents and getting reviews and information from friends and relatives, to depending internet for everything is the lifestyle changes and the gigantic developments that the modern technology has gone through. Hence the industry players are forced to make their presence felt by their target audiences online and become easily accessible via internet.

We as a leading hospitality business solution providers in the Maldives, offer an integrated Marketing Communication and Media Planning services mainly focusing the Internet Marketing oriented aspects such as Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Campaigns, Social Media Marketing, Web Designing and Developing, Web Application Development, Mobile Application Development and many more.

We at Bountylab Hospitality also provide Networking Services that aim to deliver the benefits of collaboration and synergy. We as a passionate travel, tourism and hospitality consultants and business solution providers, have established a fruitful network with the industry operators. Our strategy is representing the Maldives as an idol in the global tourism industry which is backed by a strong network and alliance of various luxury resorts, luxury hotels, beach bungalows, water villas, tourism services providers and many more. This will help the Maldives as a whole to exploit the benefit of synergy.

Our team comprises of Hospitality industry Experts, eMarketing Pros, Marketing Consultants and IT Professionals who combine and mingle their expertise to guide our clients in the path of success. As we identify, next to the natural attractions the hospitality services provided by the Hotels in the Maldives attract large number of tourists into the country, we work as an integral part of their operations to enhance their business excellences.

The teardrop shaped isle of gem that is located in the Indian Ocean always has been a vibrant country that attracted the attention of the world for several reasons. Premium Ceylon tea, tropical holiday hotspots, garments with no guilt, precious gems, world famous cricket, esthetical culture and arts are the few unique features of Sri Lanka. Though the country has been blessed with numerous tourists' attractions and lush elements, still the country has not been positioned as a luxury tourism destination in the global tourism arena, says Israth Ismail, Director of Bountylab Hospitality, one of a leading UK Hospitality Consultancy firm that is operating in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

It is prevalent that compared to the counterparts in the region, especially the Maldives; Sri Lanka is mainly attracting middle income earning tourists who are looking for budget tour packages. The main reason for high-end holiday makers to overlook Sri Lanka is the lack in innovative holiday concepts, branding, service quality, value adding amenities and the packages offered in Sri Lanka. Compared to the standard of the services that are offered in the Maldives and some parts of India, Sri Lanka is staying behind and there is a huge gap exists in the industry in terms of several tourism related features, he emphasized."I would categorize the shortcomings in Sri Lankan tourism into two categories, one is the lack in the "tourism product differentiation" and the other one is the lack in the "strategic marketing thinking".

What is understood as the lack in tourism product differentiation is the diverse tourism attractions in Sri Lanka are not yet properly bundled and offered to the tourists as a luxury tour packages. He further added, "for example the high-end tourists expect not only natural relaxations, but also some value added packages such as luxury spa retreat, Ayurveda treatments, excursions such as hot air balloon trips, bird watching, wildlife tours, trekking, cycling, water sports such as diving, snorkeling, surfing etc., cultural tours, cuisine tours and new concepts such as eco-tourism. The important aspect that should be integral to attract the high-end market is the real value addition and innovation in offering the tourism products".

He emphasized "this is the point where Sri Lanka lacks, and we prospect to enter the scene. We aim to serve the hospitality industry players in terms of developing innovative concepts, Hospitality Advisory, Spa Consultancy, Hospitality Marketing Consultancy, and Internet based Solutions". The industry should be able to serve the high-end travellers with exceptionally trained hospitality workforce, which is in Sri Lankan context has more potential to expand. Mainly, except for the five star properties and boutique hotels, the rest of the accommodations and travel companies in Sri Lanka need more development, he expressed.

"The other aspect that lacks in the Sri Lankan tourism industry is the lack in the targeted marketing activities that reach the high spending holiday makers in Europe, American continents, Southeast Asia and Middle East markets. The diverse attractions and the value added packages available in Sri Lanka should be promoted perfectly with highly focused long term strategic marketing plans" says Israth.

"We aim in performing precise segmentation and targeting to position our clients with exceptional branding strategies and marketing strategies. We help our clients to identify the potential target markets, the profiles of the target market, the most effective channels to reach them and the promotional content that appeal and convince them" he added.

He believes that overcoming these barriers would definitely help Sri Lankan tourism to uplift and position the country as a perfect luxury tourism destination in the region."This is the main goal of ours at Bountylab Hospitality and we work hard with our clients to attract the niche global markets through integrated marketing communication strategies" he explained.

The future of the global tourism market is clearly foreseeable and it is growing in a steady and promising trend. According to the latest World Tourism Barometer published by UNWTO, the international tourist arrival was grown by 4% in 2012 which is 1.035 billion in number. Further as per the records it is revealed that Asia Pacific region has recorded 7% and specifically South Asia has reached 9%. This is an indication about the significant role that South Asia plays in the global tourism market. Further UNWTO also has predicted that the international tourist arrivals will increase by 3% to 4% in 2013 and it is forecasted that the Asia Pacific region to record robust growth of 5% to 6%. The Maldives as one of the prime tourists' destination in the South Asian region has contributed significantly to the growth recorded during the past years.

However the potentials lying in the global trend could be exploited more only if the Maldivian tourism industry initiates more awareness creating initiatives and networking ventures. In par with the industry trends and drifts it is important the overall brand of the Maldivian tourism is renowned in the international arena. The global trend in the tourism phenomenon has started profoundly to shift from offline model where the travel agent's role was considered as significance to online model where the role of fully fledged and integrated online portals have started to gain the importance.

The influence of Digital Marketing and the related extensions such as Online Branding, Online Reputation Management and E-commerce elements could be witnessed not only by developed countries' tourism industry but also significant for developing countries like the Maldives. Since the tourism industry cannot be seen as a closed system that is owned by each and every country and the openness that the Internet marketing showing, the Maldives also forced to enter the ever evolving internet phenomenon to exploit the opportunities newly arising.

Moreover unlike ever before the needs of networking among the stakeholders is terrifically influencing the success of the tourism industries of every single country. Since the overall global tourism industry is moving towards its maturity period of its lifecycle, a common trend could be seen is that pertaining only natural attractions or excellent hospitality services will not make a country successful in tourism. The current trend in the tourism industry is demanding to combine everything to satisfy the dynamic needs of the international tourists. The Maldivian market is also not exceptional from the merger to fulfil the evolving needs of the international tourists. To sustain the growth in the future, the travel and tourism industry of the Maldives should enrich its online presence, online branding, sustainable business models that are trending across the globe and networking.

Any single travel and tourism related entity cannot operate individually in the future as per the current drifts in the industry. The future of the travel and tourism industries of the Maldives lies with the successful modulations of new sustainable business models that encompasses many travel and tourism related bodies such as hotels and resorts in the Maldives, travel suppliers in the Maldives, the Maldivian governmental bodies and many other related stakeholders in the industry.

The small miracle of Asia, Sri Lanka has started to unleash its potentials in tourism subsequent to the conclusion of the civil unrest that existed more than 3 decades. However the country is still depending on sightseeing types of activities to a greater extend and the natural and heritage attractions in Sri Lanka are not being innovatively exploited to attract more high spending foreigners and excitement savvy holiday-makers. Proper mixture of tourism activities and focused marketing campaigns should go hand-in-hand to uplift the country's tourism industry and become a significant part in catering the rapidly growing demand for tropical tourism spots, said Israth Ismail, the Director of Bountylab Hospitality.

The important feature that should be encouraged in Sri Lankan tourism industry is "Innovative value addition", he emphasized. Inventing innovative avenues to attract and entertain tourists is the only source to sustain and grow in long run, he further added. The global tourism industry is booming at a rapid phase where the role played by the South Asian tropical destinations like Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius is immense. Alongside the growth in the region, the competition among these countries also becoming fierce and this requires tourism solutions that exactly satisfy the core reasons for which the Western country tourists are visiting the tropical countries for vacation, he notifies.

"We are expecting to direct our clients towards such innovative tourism solutions and promoting them to the right niche in the global arena through our Hospitality Consultancy and other related services" says Israth.

He also insists few innovative suggestions to make the Sri Lankan tourism industry more attractive. The suggestions include, activities that combine the "thrill and the natural attractions of the country", "pleasure and luxury hospitality of the country", "amusements and the heritage attractions", and "entertainment and the wide selection for shopping". Unlike many countries, Sri Lanka is bombarded with various diverse types of attractions. The aspect that lacks in promoting such attractions, is the "innovative value addition" proposed Israth.

"That is why I have added phrases like, thrill, pleasure, amusements and entertainment along with the specialties that we have in our country", states Israth. The tropical countries are preferred for holidays not only for relaxation, but also for various adventurous excursions. Hence the tour operators here in Sri Lanka should focus more on water sports activities such as surfing, snorkeling, and diving. The immense marine life diversity of Sri Lanka should be exploited thoroughly by establishing centers in the coastal areas for water sports. Also a new concept in tourism, Rain Tourism which is offered in Kerala, India and Vietnam, Sri Lanka also should make use of the Monsoon seasons innovatively. Especially this type of tourism product attracts Middle Easterners who rarely experience rain falls. Further the diverse geographical attractions such as the misty mountains and virgin rain forests of Sri Lanka could be exploited by rail tours, hiking, trekking, mountain cycling, and camping. Though these activities are offered by several tour companies in Sri Lanka, there are concerns raised with regard to the quality and the security.

The another aspect that could be focused by the Sri Lankan tourism industry is pleasure rooted luxury hospitality that does not only offer accommodation but also value added services and packages to the tourists. In Sri Lanka only a small segment of resorts, hotels and villas are providing a complete value added services. Rest of the industry players are only providing accommodation. However in the international context, almost all the luxury hotels in the premium tourism destinations are providing exceptional services, amenities, and packages for the guests. This concept should be applied in Sri Lankan context and more emphasis should be given for full range of value added packages.

Plenty of Sri Lankan heritage sites are portraying brilliant engineering, artistic and cultural excellences. However these are not promoted strategically to attract more traffic into the country. The latest marketing techniques such as Internet Marketing could be abundantly used to reach the target tourists with numerous information about the rich culture and traditions that we have preserved for more than 30,000 years in Sri Lanka.

Finally the country is a perfect destination for shopping, cuisine and entertainment. It is believed that the Blue Sapphire that is mounted in the royal ring worn by Princess Diana and later by Kate Middleton is from Sri Lanka. Such Sri Lankan treasures are not yet aptly promoted among the niche tourists. The precious shopping in Sri Lanka also includes many valuable ornaments made out of ivory, gems, and precious metals. Next the authentic Sri Lankan cuisine which has the power to tempt any foreigner and this has been proven in the international arena for many times. However it has not been yet popularized by the local marketing efforts effectively. To promote the Sri Lankan cuisine, food festivals and spice festivals could be launched time to time by the resorts and hotels.
All that could bring the image of compact tourism destination to Sri Lanka is the investments in value added tourism that innovatively involve in product differentiation and strategic marketing campaigns, concludes Israth.

Being the most prosperous and record breaking era of the global tourism, in 2012 the global tourists arrival reached to 1 billion as per World Tourism Organization. In the previous year, the total global tourists' arrival was 980 million and reached a 4.4% of growth in 2012. This clearly indicates the potentials and the opportunities that the global travel, tourism and hospitality industries have. In term of the Maldives, it reached the milestone of 931, 333 in the year 2011 as per the records published by Department of Immigration and Emigrations, the Maldives which is a 17.6% of growth record compared to the previous year 2010. In 2012, the record of 2011 was outperformed by reaching the landmark of 958,027 tourists' arrival which is a 2.9% growth from the previous year tourists' arrival.

The Maldives, one of world's high-end tourism attraction and glorious honeymoon destination is well known for its many enthralling features that are unique. The ever thriving crystal clear water around the islands, powder like white sand on the seashores, constantly embracing breeze, brighten golden sun, multi-colored corals and fish in the reefs all around the sea space and the greenish sceneries in the heart of the islands are unique for the Maldives and attracts nearly a million of tourists annually to the country.

Though the Maldives is renowned for its various tourism attractions and hospitality offerings, currently there are few issues that could be identified in the tourism industry of the Maldives. In parallel to the global tourism, the Maldives too shows an upward trend. However compared to the achievements of the overall tourism industry of the world and specifically the Asia Pacific region's trends, there are some untapped potentials that the Maldives could exploit. In 2011, the total tourists' arrival to Asia Pacific region has been recorded as 216 million where the Maldives was only able to attract few thousands less than a million. The main reason for the slow growth is lack of awareness created by the Maldivian tourism industry in the context of global arena. Especially in terms in online awareness, which is turning out to be the primary source of attracting and bringing tourists to home, the Maldivian players in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry should focus more.

In terms of Online Marketing, the Maldivian players have just stepped in where other premium tourism destinations have already started to harness the ultimate benefits from internet. Numerous statistics have revealed that there are greatest potential for hotels, resorts and other tourism related entities arising from internet sources. According to a survey conducted by British Airways, more than three quarters, approximately 76% of the European voyager book their holidays online. This notifies the importance of being there online to get the attention of the travellers. As a results Digital Services such as Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Video Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and many more should be given priority by the Maldivian operators.

In particular, nowadays the usage of mobile devices to either book an accommodation or search for travel information is tremendously increasing. As per a reporting done by the Travel Daily New in January 2013, 38% of leisure holidaymaker and 57% of the business traveller use mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets to search for travel information in 2012. Whereas, in 2009, the percentage of using mobile devices were lower by 30% and 32% by leisure trekker and business travellers respectively. This is also an exact indication of the importance of the high-tech Digital Services and Online Marketing intelligence for the Maldivian travel, tourism and hospitality operators to achieve a better growth and fit into the bigger picture of the global tourism industry. Mobile Website Development, Web Application Developments, Shopping Cart facilities, embedding Online Payment Gateways etc. is becoming more and more significant for a travel and tourism related entity to survive in this modern era.

Moreover, there should be a healthy network that coordinates and collaborates with the travel and tourism operators of the Maldives should be established. Unlike ever before now none of the entity can operate in isolation. As a country if the tourism industry should be developed, all these entities should form a network among them to cater the increasing tourists' demands. For example, if a guest books a luxury lounge in a luxury resort in the Maldives and that resort is unable to accommodate such guests, the resort should be in a position to refer another similar luxury lounge from another luxury resort for the guests instead of leaving the guests unattended. This helps to bring such guest into the country.

In order to establish such Digital Media Marketing, Networking, and other cutting-edge hospitality industry related services, a prominent hospitality Consulting and Marketing services should be established in the Maldives.

Social entrepreneurship is becoming an independent force that has started to propel many developing nations' economic development where not only the financial aspects of the citizens are being developed, the social, environmental and cultural phenomenon is also being enhanced by Social Entrepreneurship. In case of the Maldives also, being a developing country it is important that the concept of Social Entrepreneurship is followed by the locals to enhance their living conditions instead of expecting the government or the private sector to create job opportunities for them. Being a country that is predominantly prospers by the travel and tourism industry, there are many opportunities available for the locals to venture into various new ventures in the travel, tourism, hospitality, shopping and support services industries. The important fact about the tourism industry that should be highlighted is, it does not operate as an isolated industry. When a country's tourism industry is booming there are chances that it nurtures many connected industries such as handicraft, support services like event organization and management, clothing, gifting and packaging, photography, videography, art and music, food and beverages, and many other.

Due to the fact that the country as a whole depends on fishing, it is always ideal for the Maldivians to enter the value added fishing ventures that attract the tourists. Unlike the conventional fishing industry, the new venture should focus more in processing the raw fish caught, value adding the normal fish for better utilization etc. For example the Maldivian dried fish are well renowned all around the world. However there are no much ventures found in the Maldives that is into branded dry fish processing business. Moreover the packaging should be given high prominence due to the nature of the product. The dried fish should be processed and packaged according to the international standards to attract the tourists. Moreover the branded and well packed dried fish could be promoted to the tourists as a unique take home item from the Maldives which also could be gifted to their friends and relatives during their return to their countries.

Another important enterprise, that attracts numerous tourists is handcrafting and producing goods that are originated and reflects the own culture of the Maldives. Keepsakes, monuments, accessories, local clothing, leather handbags and utilities could be produced according to the local customs and methods and packed and branded to attract tourists during their shopping.

Another vital service that could be targeted at the tourists is the support services. Many of the tourists get married in the exotic islands of the Maldives to celebrate their love in a unique way. Hence arranging and doing all necessary arrangements to take a wedding is a new business idea in the Maldives. Moreover engaging in event management, personal assistant services, tour guide services etc. also could be potential new business ideas in the Maldives.

Portrait Artists services is another peculiar service that could be targeted at the tourists. Hence most of the tourists visiting the Maldives look for pleasure and lifelong memories, a real-time portrait of them that was drawn just in front of them would definitely attract them. Especially couples or individual could be targeted where they have to spend only few artistic minutes to get the artists to draw their portraits. Even this service could be value added with high quality fiber glass or plastic framing. An advantage of this venture is no big investments are required. Even for framing readymade frames could be obtained and stored for instant delivery. The team should consist of capable artists who can bring the liveliness into their portraits as well. If the team could travel along the islands it is more targeted to reach the tourists accommodated in resort islands.

These ventures will help to achieve the maximum utility of the local resources, development in the standard of living of the locals and there by bringing down a new channel of income for the overall economy and economic development.

However there are few aspects that should be considered importantly when venturing into new social entrepreneurships like these. The quality and the standards of the products and the services should match the international standards. Since these ventures are mainly going to target the tourist from many developed countries, it is important that the offerings match with their expectations. For example the branding, marketing, packaging, and advertising aspects should be given highest prominence. The value addition to the core product or service should be carefully designed and developed to attract and appeal the tourists market.

Bountylab Hospitality which is a Business Consultancy company in the Maldives that mainly focuses assisting the entities and new ventures in the hospitality industry can be helpful for these Social Entrepreneurs to overcome the lack that they face in several areas. These ventures could be assisted in terms of value added services that include Creative Services, Digital Services, Branding, Marketing and other related Consultancy services.

Lavishing land of Lanka in the Indian Ocean has undergone numerous transformations in terms of its economy, trade, governance system, law, culture, social life and many more. The history of Sri Lanka is believed to be started more than 30,000 years ago. Later it was ruled by kings who were belonged to the Buddhists Monarchy. During this era Sri Lanka was renowned as one of the important hub in the Silk Route which linked ancient trade routes of Afro-Eurasian destinations. Afterwards since 16th century the country was gradually invaded by the Portuguese, Dutch and British which directed the country towards a drastic transformation of many aspects. Later in 19th century Sri Lanka became a sovereign state and came to the point which we experience right at this moment. Tourism in Sri Lanka is also one of the important aspects which have started to progress and transform from one level to another.

Though such transformation is not radical similar to other aspects, there are various positive signs could be witnessed in the recent couple of years. Sri Lanka which has been positioned as a budget tourism destination has started to uplift its image and started to attract high-end holiday makers. However such trend is not growing in a faster phase to exploit all the opportunities arising in the global tourism industry.

One of the noticeable transformations that could be seen in Sri Lankan tourism is various international players, especially luxury hotel chains have started to invest in Sri Lanka. Many of their luxury tourism properties such as five star hotels, resorts, spas etc. targeting the affluent holiday makers have been established in various parts of the island including the capital city of Colombo. One of the latest arrivals to Sri Lankan hospitality market is entering the market with an investment worth of $80 million. In addition to this particular brand, in Sri Lanka there are already property developments projects have been initiated by several international hotel brands. Most of these hotels will be ready for occupation by later part of 2013 or early 2014. These luxury hotels are believed to include presidential suites and other themed luxury suites as well to attract the niche holiday makers and business travellers to the country. In addition to this, another remarkable aspect in Sri Lankan hospitality industry is one of an international hotel brand which owns several properties in Sri Lanka has re-branded its few properties to attract more high-end tourists from various western countries.

Apart from the global hospitality players in Sri Lanka, the local private sector and the Sri Lankan government also have initiated many endeavouring project to captivate the emerging opportunities for tourism in Sri Lanka. However the important aspect that lacks is, the focused initiatives to uplift the Sri Lankan tourism industry as a luxury tourism destination that offers value added hospitality services to the guests. The result driven campaigns should reposition the country as a holiday destination that offers the real value and pleasure for the guests and does not merely depend on the exotic natural attractions and treasured heritage sites. This will definitely help the country's tourism industry to get transformed to the next level.

Bountylab Hospitality which is a Hospitality Consultancy firm in UK with operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives has sincerely committed in uplifting the country's tourism industry. The pool of local as well as international hospitality industry experts at Bountylab Hospitality anticipates a very favourable transformation in the tourism industry. However it states that to achieve such up liftmen in the tourism industry, strategically projected plans and campaigns should be initiated by the private and government sectors. Further it adds that the global trends in the hospitality marketing should be widely used in the Sri Lankan hospitality industry as well to ripe the fullest benefits of affluent holiday making in Sri Lanka.

As per past records from various sources travel and tourism industries' importance to the global context has continued to grow in 2012 as well. The total contribution of these industries comprised 9% of the global GDP (US $6.6 trillion) and generated over 260 million jobs which is 1 in 11 of the world's total job opportunities. As per the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the travel and tourism industries outperformed the entire wider economy in 2012 while growing faster than any other prominent global industries such as manufacturing, financial services and retail. The same scenario is applicable in terms of the Maldivian context as well. In terms of the direct contribution of travel and tourism to the Maldivian GDP was MVR7,774.7 mn which is 22.4% of total GDP in 2012, and as per the forecasts by WTTC, it is expected to rise by 2.6% in 2013. Between years 2013 to 2023 it is expected to further rise by 5.2% per annum. The country's total GDP contribution from these industries records as MVR16, 876.5 mn which is 48.7% of GDP in 2012. This is also forecasted to rise by 3.9% in 2013 and by 5.2% per annum between years 2013 to 2023. Not only in terms of these industries' contribution to the Maldivian GDP, in terms of the job opportunities created also there is a noteworthy growth could be noticed. The direct employment opportunities created by the travel and tourism industries of the Maldives are 28,500 which is 20.8% of the total employment of the country and the total employment opportunities created were 62,000 which is 44.8% of the total employment. The industries are forecasted to grow as the employment opportunity creator of the country by averagely 2% per annum between years 2013 to 2023.

This is a strong indication that the Maldivian government should focus more in the travel and tourism industries to further strengthen the predicted growths. However though a positive outlook is predicted by WTTC based on the current facts and figures, there are some significant competition arising in the region which may in long run hinder the Maldivian tourism sectors. Especially Sri Lanka is emerging as a sensational tourism destination in the past couple of years while recording a growth above 30%. Moreover Sri Lanka is also stepping into the luxury holiday making arena which was the lacking aspect of Sri Lankan tourism compared to the Maldives.

Hence it is important for the Maldivian government and the other sector operators to focus in the latest trending travel and tourism developments to invest more to sustain the growth predicted for the next decade. For example the Maldivian government should focus more on ICT developments and Digital Marketing aspects to promote the country as a whole to the global tourism market. The country's tourists attractions should be digitalized to reach the wider scope in the international arena and the government should enter into the new sphere of doing business. The latest trend of doing tourism business is collaborating with the counter parts in the country, region and industry and benefiting through the synergy.

The Maldivian government is expected to encourage investments not only in the accommodation, transportation, entertainment and enhancing the natural attractions of the Maldives. The investment should be made in Digital Services, Branding, Image Building, and other marketing related services. Currently the travel and tourism investment in 2012 was MVR2, 683.9 mn which is 29.3% of total investment where a 1.9% rise in 2013 and 4.1% annual growth over next decade is predicted by WTTC. Out of these investments a significant amount should be allocated for the developments in the intellectual properties related to marketing like country branding, digitalizing the tourism industry to attract more tourists into the country, to establish a collaborative business model that influences the mutual growth of the stakeholders and latest technologies in media planning and communication strategies.

This was the summary article developed from the report published by Bountylab Hospitality, which is an ultra-tech travel, tourism and hospitality consultancy firm in the Maldives. Bountylab Hospitality involves in Creative Services, Digital Services, Media Planning Services, Communication Services, and Networking Services for the stakeholders of the tourism industry of the Maldives.