Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is celebrating another major award in the Maldives! Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives, its five-star retreat in the idyllic South Ari Atoll, has been named as Chinese travellers’ favourite place to stay in the Maldives by Tuniu.com, one of China’s largest travel companies. 

Founded in 2006, Tuniu.com is a NASDAQ-listed leisure travel agency that specialises in the vast Chinese outbound travel sector. With a hugely popular online platform and a widespread offline network, including over 1,350 tour advisors and a 24/7 call centre, this travel giant now takes travellers from more than 420 departing cities throughout China to over 140 countries worldwide – including the Maldives. As a result, Tuniu.com is now a key player in the Maldivian tourism sector; this enchanting archipelago welcomed 1.48 million international visitors in 2018, almost 20 percent of whom were Chinese (283,116 visitors). In the year-to-August 2019, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Maldives increased 7.6 percent².

Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa offers world-class accommodation and a wealth of facilities for every type of stay, from romantic couples’ breaks to fun-filled family holidays. Guests can choose from seven room categories, including four types of overwater villas, all with steps leading down to the shimmering lagoon and many featuring private plunge pools. Alternatively, the Beach Suites and Beachfront Pool Villas are nestled directly on the powder-soft sand, overlooking the azure ocean.

The concept of barefoot luxury is complemented by an array of indulgent and exhilarating activities, including multiple restaurants and bars, two outdoor swimming pools, the serene SPA Cenvaree, a fully-equipped fitness centre, kid’s club and extensive water sports. The resort also provides spectacular scuba diving and snorkelling opportunities, including the chance to explore a sunken shipwreck. All of these activities and more can be experienced by choosing the resort’s unique “Ultimate All-Inclusive” option.

“We are thrilled to have been named as the most popular resort for Chinese travellers in the Maldives by Tuniu.com – one of the leading players in the world’s largest outbound travel market, and a key partner for Centara Hotels & Resorts. At Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives, we strive to create outstanding experiences for all our Chinese guests, including providing onsite support in their own language. Following this award, we look forward to welcoming many more Chinese visitors to our Maldivian resorts in future,”

said Riaan Drever, the resort’s General Manager.

This is the latest in a series of honours achieved by Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives, which has been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Frame for seven consecutive years, was named as the winner of World Luxury Hotel Awards in Luxury Family All Inclusive Resort, Indian Ocean Islands and as one of the “Best Luxury Romantic All-Inclusive Resorts Worldwide” at the Hotel of the Year Awards 2018 & 2019. It has also received EarthCheck’s Gold Certification, demonstrating the resort’s deep commitment to the environment.

For more information, please visit www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centaragrand/cirm.