Discover Why the Maldives Should Be Your Next Travel Destination: An Exclusive Interview with Katarzyna Bober from Resortlife Travel

The Maldives, an iconic tropical paradise, has long been a dream destination for travellers seeking luxury, beauty, and tranquility. However, recent developments and innovations have made this Indian Ocean destination more attractive than ever, with a growing variety of experiences and resorts for travellers. We sat down with Katarzyna Bober, the EU representative for Grizzla Travel, to explore what makes the Maldives stand out from other travel hotspots and why it remains an unparalleled destination for North American travellers.

Why North American Travellers Should Visit the Maldives: A Conversation with Dennis from Grizzla Travel

During the DC Travel Show, Dennis from Grizzla Travel discussed why the Maldives is a must-visit destination for North American travellers. She described the Maldives as “the par ultimate paradise on the earth,” noting how the abundance of travel destinations today makes it hard to match the Maldives’ allure. For Dennis, the most unique feature of the Maldives is how it “forces you in a very nice way to relax,” offering a perfect escape from the daily grind. She highlighted that visitors to the Maldives are not distracted by phones or social media; instead, the only reason one might use their phone is to “take footage of what you see because you want to share it with somebody else.”

When asked about her top recommendations, Dennis shared his unforgettable experience swimming with sharks, saying the nature underwater was “way beyond what I imagined.” She also emphasized that the Maldives offers much more than just relaxation, with plenty of activities like golfing and windsurfing. She continued, “there’s a lot being built, lots of new resorts… there’s still over 400 islands without a habitat.” For Dennis, the Maldives offers not just a paradise but a chance to immerse in the “original culture” of the region, beyond the typical resort experience.

The Maldives: A True Paradise Like No Other

When asked what sets the Maldives apart from other destinations, Katarzyna didn’t hold back “Maldives, without a word of a lie, is the par ultimate paradise on the earth.” While travel options around the globe are abundant, Katarzyna emphasized that the Maldives offers something truly unique that other places simply cannot match. With its pristine natural beauty and breathtaking landscapes, the Maldives is a true representation of paradise on earth.

Relax and Disconnect: A Digital Detox Like No Other

One of the key features of the Maldives is its ability to promote a genuine escape from the demands of daily life. As Katarzyna points out, “You’re basically being forced in a very nice way to relax.” In an age where constant connectivity and digital distractions are the norm, the Maldives provides a sanctuary where visitors can disconnect from technology. Katarzyna insists that when you’re in the Maldives, you won’t find yourself scrolling through Instagram or texting “The only reason you use your phone is taking footage of what you see because you want to share it with somebody else.” This digital detox not only helps travelers unwind but also encourages them to engage more fully with the surrounding natural beauty.

Swimming with Sharks: An Unforgettable Underwater Experience

For Katarzyna, one of the highlights of her trip to the Maldives was the chance to experience the vibrant marine life firsthand. “I fulfilled my dream of swimming with sharks,” she recalls, describing the experience as “way beyond what I imagined.” The underwater world of the Maldives is home to an incredible range of marine life, making it a prime destination for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts. Katarzyna’s experience emphasizes just how immersive and awe-inspiring the Maldives’ marine ecosystem is, and how it appeals to nature lovers and adventure seekers alike.

More Than Just Beaches: The Maldives Now Offers a Variety of Activities

Contrary to the outdated stereotype of the Maldives as merely a beach destination, Katarzyna highlights how much the region has evolved over the years. “The number of activities is way beyond what we imagine,” she says, noting that the Maldives has much more to offer than just relaxation by the beach. In fact, the destination has expanded its offerings to include activities such as golfing and windsurfing. “It’s not just paradise, there’s a lot to do,” Katarzyna adds. This diversification of activities caters to travellers looking for more than a peaceful retreat, including families and adventure lovers.

The Growing Appeal of the Maldives: Ongoing Development and New Resorts

As a sign of its growing popularity, the Maldives continues to expand its offerings with more resorts and infrastructure developments. With over 400 uninhabited islands still awaiting development, the market in the Maldives is vibrant and evolving. Katarzyna points out that “there’s still over 400 islands without a habitat, and it’s being built,” which indicates both the growing competition among resorts and the ongoing evolution of the destination. With this increase in development, travelers can expect even more luxurious options and activities that will cater to a wide range of tastes and preferences.

A Cultural Experience Like No Other: Grizzla Travel’s New Resort

While the Maldives is often associated with luxury resorts and breathtaking beaches, Katarzyna highlights that Grizzla Travel is focused on bringing back an authentic Maldivian experience for travellers. “We are building our own one from which the first one should be ready this year,” she shares, explaining that the resort is located on the northwest island, the furthest in the Maldives. The goal is to offer visitors the chance to escape the typical resort life and immerse themselves in the traditional culture of the Maldives. By focusing on authentic experiences, Grizzla Travel aims to provide a deeper connection to the destination, beyond just luxury relaxation.

The Maldives: A Destination for All Types of Travelers

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing escape, thrilling underwater adventures, or a chance to immerse yourself in the local culture, the Maldives offers something for everyone. With its continuous development, growing activity options, and commitment to preserving its unique culture, the Maldives is an ideal destination for North American travellers seeking a multifaceted experience.

As Katarzyna concludes, “We want to bring the unique Maldivian experience back to show people the culture, the original culture of Maldives beyond just the resort life and everything.” This evolving destination promises not only to meet the needs of today’s travelers but also to exceed their expectations, making it one of the most compelling places to visit in the world.

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Alexander Khanin, Founder of Polynome Group and organiser of Machines Can Think, highlights that the event connects early-stage AI startups directly with global tech leaders, investors, and decision-makers, providing real-world validation, visibility, and clear pathways to scale within the UAE’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem.

How is Machines Can Think creating opportunities for startups to showcase their AI innovations to global tech leaders?
Machines Can Think was designed deliberately as a platform that keeps startups from being pushed to the sidelines, bringing them into the same rooms as the people who actually build, deploy, and fund real AI systems. The UAE’s broader AI ecosystem is evolving quickly, and the whole point of the summit is to ensure early-stage teams gain genuine visibility into that momentum. That means founders are sharing the programme with global technology companies and UAE organisations that already operate AI at scale — teams from Meta, Snap Inc., G42, Mubadala, and MBZUAI among them.

For startups, the benefit is immediate. When the speaker lineup includes practitioners like Michal Valko, Chief Models Officer at a stealth AI startup, who works at the frontier of model development, founders aren’t hearing abstract theories; they’re hearing exactly how real AI products are built, stress-tested, and commercialised. With more than 1,500 experts from over 30 countries attending, the summit becomes a place where investors, accelerators, enterprise buyers, and public-sector operators can spot emerging teams in a context that feels real, not hypothetical. Startups gain visibility in front of people who understand the work—and who have the authority to move it forward.

What support does the summit offer early‑stage founders looking to validate, scale, or commercialise AI‑driven products?
One of the biggest challenges early-stage founders face is getting their first real validation. Before investors or large enterprises take them seriously, they need references — customers who have actually used the product and can vouch for it. That’s the hardest part. When a startup approaches a company, the first question they hear is, “Who else is using your solution?” If they don’t have an answer, the conversation stops there.

Machines Can Think helps founders cross that barrier by creating an environment where these early connections can genuinely happen. The summit brings together investors, potential co-founders, technical talent, and, most importantly, companies that are actively exploring AI adoption. It’s a space where early-stage founders can have real conversations with people who may become their first customers or early adopters. That kind of interaction is often what transforms a prototype into a viable business.

The value of the summit is that it brings together the right people in the same room — decision-makers open to experimentation, teams searching for solutions, and founders ready to prove their technology works. When these conversations happen naturally, founders can walk away not just with interest but with actual pilots, reference use cases, or the beginnings of a customer relationship. For many startups, that first endorsement is the hardest milestone to reach. Machines Can Think is intentionally structured to make that moment more achievable.

The summit’s Startup Contest Day on Day 2 also encourages the founders, as it is also designed to test ideas under pressure. Twelve selected teams take the stage for fast, focused pitches, followed by direct questioning from an expert jury. Founders must clearly articulate the problem they are solving, why their technology matters, and where it fits in the market, all in front of investors and operators who know what works. The format creates intensity, clarity, and visibility in a short window, where the most valuable conversations often begin.

How is the event helping founders understand the infrastructure, data, and talent requirements needed to build AI‑native companies?
A lot of founders underestimate how complex it is to build a truly AI-native company, and that goes far beyond just training a model. They need to understand infrastructure, data governance, compute access, and the kind of talent required to run systems reliably at scale. Machines Can Think is designed to give them that clarity in the most direct way possible.

During both days of the summit, we bring in people who actually shape these ecosystems — government policymakers, infrastructure providers, and teams who operate large-scale AI systems every day. They explain how things work in practice: what regulations matter, how data can and cannot be processed, what it takes to run a national-scale compute, and how companies should think about hiring and technical capabilities from day one. It’s information that founders rarely get access to in such an open setting.

But the most valuable part is that nothing happens behind closed doors. We give startups full access to the speakers and experts. They can ask direct questions, challenge assumptions, and get real answers. The Q&A sessions are just the formal part, and the real magic happens in the coffee breaks, the lunches, and those informal moments where conversations go deeper. Our speakers don’t just show up, give a talk, and leave; they stay, they engage, and they spend time with the participants.

That proximity is what makes Machines Can Think different. Founders aren’t just listening to theory; they’re learning from the people who build, regulate, and operate the infrastructure that AI companies depend on. It’s a rare opportunity to understand what it truly takes to scale, long before they make decisions that are difficult or expensive to undo. 

As AI adoption accelerates, how is Machines Can Think planning to expand its startup‑focused programs and engagement in future editions?
As AI adoption moves from experimentation to execution, we see a growing need for founder-centric support that extends beyond inspiration. That’s why future editions of Machines Can Think will deepen our commitment to startups in very intentional ways. One of the biggest priorities is showcasing real success stories from founders and partners who joined us in previous years. Their journeys involve securing early customers, raising investment, or scaling their technology across new markets. serve as powerful proof points for what this ecosystem can enable when the right connections are made.

Future editions of Machines Can Think will also deepen founder involvement through more structured pathways that connect pitching, technical learning, and commercial dialogue across the year. Startup-focused sessions will increasingly link founders with infrastructure providers, public-sector buyers, and enterprise partners earlier in the product lifecycle.

The aim is to create continuity rather than one-off moments. As the region’s AI economy is projected to reach US$320 billion, startups need repeated access to decision-makers who control data, compute, and long-term budgets. Machines Can Think is expanding its role as a convening platform where founders can return with stronger products, clearer positioning, and a deeper understanding of market realities. The summit is building a longer runway for emerging teams to move from early traction to durable, scalable businesses.

 

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