We had the chance to chat with Nadin Stevens, the Assistant Sales & Marketing Manager at Cora Cora Maldives, as part of our exclusive International Women’s Day interview series.

In our conversation, Nadin gave insights into her career within the tourism industry, highlighting the journey that brought her to Cora Cora Maldives. She shared actionable steps for the hospitality sector to embrace, fostering greater recognition and empowerment of women in leadership roles

Can you walk us through your previous experience in sales and marketing, particularly within the hospitality or tourism industry?

My career in the sales and marketing sector started a short time ago. After my tourism studies in Switzerland, I moved to the Maldives and was working as a tour guide and reservation agent before changing to sales and marketing. The experience from my other jobs within the tourism sector gave me a great base to start building a career in a more commercially driven sector. Since joining Cora Cora Maldives, I have been able to learn as part of my role and further my knowledge and everyday there is something new to explore.

How do you adapt your marketing strategies to cater to different market segments, including leisure travellers, corporate clients, and high-net-worth individuals?

We believe that Cora Cora Maldives offers something for every traveller. By educating our partners and focusing on the right content in each market, we can deliver the message of “It’s Freedom Time” to everyone concisely. By staying true to our word, we create a trust that guests feel and they, in return, spread the word within their families and friends to come and stay with us. By knowing what each individual traveler is looking for, we then complement our strategy on the existing knowledge and reputation of Cora Cora Maldives in the market.

Given Cora Cora Maldives’ recent success in receiving the SHe Travel Club Label, how do you plan to utilise this achievement in your marketing strategies to highlight the resort’s appeal to solo female travellers?

Since being awarded the accreditation, we have seen an increase in demand from solo travellers. This will be enhanced by specific training for our resort staff in handling and caring about those guests. The focus lies on improving the direct guest interaction and the feeling guests take home after staying with us. On the other hand, the accreditation will help us show that Maldives doesn’t always mean honeymoon, couples, or family holidays but can be explored and enjoyed alone too.

What methods do you employ to remain ahead of industry trends and competitors, and how do you leverage this information to refine and enhance your marketing strategies?

Cora Cora Maldives has done things differently and maybe a little unconventional from the start. With nearly 200 resorts in the Maldives, the main objective is to stand out in a positive way. This is a task we face every day, but with a team that has such a wealth of experience in the Maldives, and great relationships with our partners, we can build on a solid foundation. One of the main aspects is to know what guests are looking for when spending their holidays in a destination like the Maldives, but also to have partners that trust the people within the commercial team.

From your perspective, what actionable steps can the hospitality industry take to foster greater recognition and empowerment of women, particularly in leadership positions?

I think we need to proactively give women more chances in leadership positions. Women should be allowed to lead and implement ideas or strategies too. Women have exceptional ideas and strategies, and if they are given the opportunity, they can implement these. To achieve this, a great shift in mind must happen. It’s not only about the industry changing their policies or quotas but also about educating young girls and encouraging them throughout their studies so that they can achieve such positions with the right mindset and attitude.

How do you envision Cora Cora Maldives actively engaging in community initiatives designed to support and uplift women within the local area?

Bringing more female students to Cora Cora Maldives for a field study – or going to their schools – and showing them the possibilities of what can be achieved as a woman are important points. As mentioned before, it must start when they are young to plant the seed that anything can be achieved if desired. By creating several intern positions for females only or undertaking active motivational classes, we can help shape the future of these women.