The sheer number of Bollywood stars who have vacationed in the breathtakingly beautiful ocean paradise of the Maldives during the last one year alone has transformed it into the No 1 tourist attraction on the globe.
And it’s not just Bollywood celebs. Even Priyanka Chopra’s brother-in-law Joe Jonas took his newly-married wife, British actress Sophie Turner to the azure haven for their honeymoon recently.
Rumour has it that Priyanka, a frequent flyer to the Maldives, got her bro-in-law an all-expenses paid honeymoon, in return for Joe and Sophie letting the world know that they had a ball in the island nation.
Interestingly, seems like the easiest way for a celebrity to ‘win’ an all-expenses paid vacation to the Maldives is to let the world know that there is no better place to unwind. Certainly not a false endorsement given that the Maldives is a stunningly scenic and serene place to vacation. But even then, we see Shah Rukh Khan or Malaika Arora gushing about their vacations on social media, with all the lovely pictures telling their own story of family-friendly fun and enjoyment.
Recently, Shah Rukh shared a video and captioned it: “Feeling bad having to leave Maldives and especially all the wonderful people at #JumeirahVittaveli. Thank u for a lovely holiday @jumeirahvittaveli will miss u all. @makeplansholidays”
Gauri Khan posted a photo of her kids — Aryan, Suhana and AbRam
Interestingly, his tweet thanked the hotel — @jumeirahvittaveli — and the travel company @makeplansholidays. His wife Gauri, who is known to be a very private person, also tweeted pics of her children enjoying their Maldives holiday!
“It is a given that these celebs are enjoying the stay gratis! It works both ways, stars promote the destination and hotel, while the latter get a lot of mileage and are able to attract more tourists,” says a source in the know.
The source explains, “If the stars are on holiday at their own expense, then you notice that no picture will be put out. They want it to be very private. But when it’s a free trip, they keep posting pictures — in their swim wear... on the beach... eating at the restaurant...”
This perhaps explains the sudden surge of pictures on social media of celebs enjoying their vacation. Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor too were holidaying in Maldives. And Katrina kaif as well — every day a fab picture of hers in swimwear enjoying herself in maldives.
Reliable sources inform that Maldives tourism too is pressing hard on the pedal to ensure that Bollywood celebrities choose this vacation spot as their No.1 getaway.
Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and son Taimur with Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kemmu and daughter Inaaya during Maldives vacation.
Divulging the desirability of this dishy destination for Mumbai’s Page 3 crowds, a source informs, “Everybody from Saif-Kareena (with Taimur, of course) and Malaika-Arjun Kapoor to the smaller stars is invited to visit here. In return for the hospitality, the Bollywood brigade is only expected to post fun pictures on social media.”
Incidentally, the Maldives is following in the footsteps of Mauritius, which for several decades now, has been hosting holidays for Bollywood stars. Seems like the two islands are now competing to grab Bollywood’s attention!
