Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives opened in November last year.

As the Maldives shifts to a family-friendly destination, Centara Hotels & Resorts (CHR) has launched two new hotels catering to this rising segment, investing more than US$200 million.

Andrew Jansson, general manager of Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives and Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives, said a decade ago the islands mostly attracted honeymooners, celebrities and divers.

With more flights and affordable accommodation on large islands that can offer several rooms and facilities for kids, the family market has been growing.

Centara opened the 145-room Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives in November last year. It's located on the North Malé Atoll, a 40-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport.

Rooms sized from 45-196 square metres have average prices ranging from $400-$1,000 per night.

Mr Jansson said over 70% are family room types, equipped with bunk beds for kids.

The resort also offers an outdoor water playground, lazy river, swimming pools, kid's club and spas.

Its water villa welcomes families with small kids, unlike some resorts which prohibit children, as its design comes with extra safety fences and bunk beds, he said.

At present, the top markets are Thailand, China, Russia, the UK and India, with an average length of stay of around five nights.

The resort targets an average occupancy rate of 60% during the first year and 70-75% from the second year.

Since opening, the family segment accounts for over 77% of total guests, followed by couples at 20% with solo travellers accounting for the rest.

For the overall situation in the Maldives, he said family travellers are expected to make up 30% of arrivals, while couples represent 60%, he said.

The destination is also attracting more incentive groups and corporate travellers.

There are 178 resorts across the Maldives at present, up from 130 resorts five years ago.

At least 30 new resorts will be opened in the next three years, said Mr Jansson.

In 2024, the Maldives welcomed 2 million tourists, surpassing the 1.7 million registered in 2019, while the target for this year is set at 2.2 million.

He said the Maldives tourism should continue to grow, driven by affordable luxury accommodations.

The new terminal at Malé's Velana International Airport is slated for mid-year, increasing the carrying capacity to 7 million passengers a year.

The country is made up of over 1,100 islands, but only 120-150 are inhabited.

He said every year the Maldivian government puts several islands up for auction.

A small island can cost $2 million, while a larger one can cost $20 million.

He said investors are more interested in developing projects near the major airport, where the Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives is located.

Since there are no more islands, they are buying out lagoons and reclaiming land to develop projects instead, opting for long-term lease contracts, which have a period of 50-99 years.

Around 6-7 projects are under development in lagoons near the airport, with several hotels also focused on the family segment.

He said Centara now has four resorts in the Maldives. The upcoming resort in April -- Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives -- is situated next to Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives, featuring 142 villas with room sizes ranging from 78-290 sq m.

This property also targets families, but with older children, offering an average daily room rate starting from $1,000.

Total investment for both resorts tallied over $200 million, including long-term lagoon lease, land reclamation and construction.