For agents who book the Maldives, Hummingbird Travel is likely to play a key role in their customers’ experience.

As a wholesaler and ground handler for the majority of operators selling the Maldives, most agents benefit from Hummingbird’s services via suppliers, while some concierge-style agencies use their own Atol to book direct.  

As joint chief executive Alex Chambers explained: “Most people in the UK who book the Maldives have a connection with us one way or another.” 

Speaking to TTG Luxury, Chambers revealed the business’ current and projected sales for 2022 are currently double the equivalent figures in 2019, driven by continued demand for the Maldives. 

Chambers said business to the islands has been “really, really good” during and following the pandemic, making Hummingbird “one of the strange beneficiaries of the pandemic.” 

He explained: “The Maldives made it very simple [for travellers]. It opened in July 2020 and then stayed open. A lot of other destinations didn’t have that consistency. Everyone just knew the Maldives was open. Also, it’s totally blessed by the geography, as you know you’re going to your island and that’s it. It’s that guilt-free destination where you can’t really even go sightseeing, so it’s got a very obvious appeal during these Covid times, with that one hotel-one island concept.”

He said the UK is the firm’s “biggest market by a long way,” but when Brits were unable to travel during the pandemic, Hummingbird was sustained by bookings from eastern Europe, the USA and the Middle East. 

While trip durations have remained stable at an average of eight nights for the majority of Maldives trips, Chambers said there had been an increase in last-minute bookings (compared with pre-pandemic times), citing examples of clients booking in mid-August to travel within a month in September. 

Team rewards 

To cope with the increased demand, Hummingbird’s team has grown from 45 people before the pandemic, to 86.

The brand has offices in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and London, and Chambers said one of the “weird silver linings of the pandemic” was that it spurred the business to recruit globally for positions that would previously have been London-based.

“We’ve now got people in Yorkshire, Dubai, Italy, Vancouver, New York and Buenos Aires. That has been incredible and it has really freed us up to get really talented people from around the world,” he added. 

The nature of the global team, and the fact that many people had never met in person, inspired Hummingbird to arrange a company-wide trip to the Maldives. From 10 to 14 August the team stayed at the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa, enjoying games, dancing, karaoke and prize giving ceremonies, with plenty of time to mingle. 

Chambers said the trip was also a “reward for the incredible hard work” the team put in during the pandemic. “We’ve been very lucky selling the Maldives, which retained that demand. So we were kept busy as long as the UK government allowed people to travel there, but it was incredibly stressful,” he adds. 

Ahead of the get-together, between them, the sales team visited more than 20 resorts across the Maldives. Chambers explained: “We wanted to make the most of this opportunity for product knowledge. We have 155 contracts in the Maldives so it’s about having that ability to understand each and every property more than anyone else in the UK. That’s crucial for us.”

Looking ahead, Hummingbird plans to expand into other destinations, both in and beyond the Indian Ocean. It has also launched API integrations for live rates, which Chambers describes as “a game changer” and a key tech focus for the business going forward. 

In July it created the Hum Club, which provides additional services for key partners, including 24-hour WhatsApp communication. 

Supporting Sri Lanka 

Chambers visited Sri Lanka before and after the team bonding trip, spending two weeks in the country with his wife and children.

He predicts that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office will soon lift its advice warning against all but essential travel to the destination, and expects interest from tourists to swiftly return. 

“The state of emergency has been lifted, and France has already lifted its travel advice, so we’re pretty sure the UK will follow,” he said.

He added: “From my personal experience of being on the ground, the country is of course in an economic mess, and they have a huge amount of problems. For locals it is tough, but as a tourist, it felt totally safe. We didn’t see a single protest and we never felt threatened. We visited lots of national parks, temples and crowded marketplaces and had a fantastic time. I can’t think of another country which has so much variety in such a small area.”