Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has said that the electricity bills in Ramadan hiked owing to higher usage and coinciding with hot season. Despite the discounts levied during the Islamic holy month, electricity bills for the month had gone significantly up across local households. The government announced 10% discounts on both electricity and water bills for local households in Ramadan. However, many have been criticizing the hiked bills despite the promise of discounts. Some individuals have also complained that their electricity bills had gone twice up from other months. In response to these concerns, STELCO’s media correspondent, Ahmed Mohamed…

Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has called local businesses and traders engaged in the import and sale of tobacco and related products to abandon these activities. The current government is known for its stringent legal measures at curbing tobacco import and its use in the Maldives. As part of these efforts, the government last year put a complete ban on the import and sale of vapes and its associated products while duty on cigarettes was increased twofold. While speaking about these measures, President Muizzu in a podcast said the main objective of this was to encourage the public to move…

Maldives has attracted more than 590,000 tourists as of March 26, 2025, according to the Ministry of Tourism. The ministry’s statistics has shown a total arrival of 593,956 by the review date in annual terms, which is a 4.0% increase compared to the corresponding period last year. In the same period last year, Maldives welcomed 570,898 travelers and 500,609 a year before that. From March 1 to 26, Maldives welcomed 165,002 which is also a 2.4% increment compared to the same period last year. The daily arrival average in annual terms is 6,988. China leads the top source markets with…

Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has amended and re-enacted Presidential Decree No. 2025/6, which establishes the priority projects to be undertaken in the public interest. As such, the minimum expenditure threshold for projects aimed at safeguarding the independence and sovereignty of the state has been raised from USD 15 million to USD 100 million. The first amendment to the decree setting down the minimum threshold for investment on projects undertaken under specific economic policies in the public interest was publicized earlier on March 21, 2025. Article 13 of this decree has been amended and publicized again on Tuesday, April 1,…

Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday evening, has departed for Liverpool, United Kingdom to participate in the commencement of the Maldives tourism promotion campaign in collaboration with Liverpool Football Club. This campaign is part of the co-branded initiative between Liverpool FC and the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives). The partnership was announced earlier on March 13, when MMPRC revealed it has become the “Official Tourist Destination Partner” for Liverpool FC. The collaboration launches a global campaign spanning three and half years with the aim of amplifying brand visibility and attract more travelers to the Maldives.…

Maldivian, the national carrier of the island nation, has announced it set to operate regular weekly seaplane flights to Baa atoll. Island Aviation Services (IAS), which operates Maldivian, the seaplane flights will operate to Baa atoll every week on Thursdays and Saturdays. The airline will travel to Fulhadhoo, Goidhoo and Fehendhoo of the atoll. Maldivian began its seaplane operates on March 31, 2025 ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, with two flights already making trips so far, both had traveled at full capacity. The seaplanes come with a passenger capacity of 12-13, with fares starting at MVR 1099.

The Ministry of Tourism has announced plans to develop tourist resorts in the lagoons of HA. Kelaa and K. Kaashidhoo. According to the ministry, a 10-hectare area from Kaashidhoo’s lagoon has been designated for the resort development, while a minimum of USD 2.2 million must be furnished by the successful developer as land acquisition cost. This marks the third time a tourist resort project has been announced at Kaashidhoo lagoon. Two resorts will be developed in Kelaa’s lagoon, with both these areas measuring 12.2 hectares. The land acquisition cost for the area titled ‘Lagoon 1’ is USD 1.9 million and…

For someone like me who lives in the Maldives, the international trend is something that would hit us perhaps a few good days after it has gone across the entirety of the rest of the world. However, the same may not be so accurate with the advent of social media platforms that are applicable and available across the world; which allows users to consume all forms of content almost at a real-time basis. Before I digress into the advancement of technology – more acutely in the realm of the internet and social media – I must bring the focus into…

The Maldives has welcomed a little over 540,000 tourists as of March 19, 2025 which itself is indicative of a 4.8% increase compared to the same period last year. While the Ministry of Tourism may have had been ecstatic in sharing this statistical update that shows a notable growth in tourist arrivals on an annual basis for the current year, there may also be significant other cogs in the larger mechanism that is the Maldivian tourism industry – which may have been experiencing unbeknownst hindrances over the past year. The current government administration, that came to power in November 2023,…

A local media, in the local language, had an article dated on March 22, 2025 that said the Maldivian fresh produce market observed a steep decline of watermelon availability, surging the price on the commodity for the first time during this year’s Ramadan. Vendors report a kilogram of fresh watermelon was sold for MVR 30 currently, which an MVR 10 increment from the start of the Islamic holy month; a steep increment considering the strong demand. Vendors also highlight the relative disruption to the supply-demand chain as watermelon’s availability for sale has plummeted significantly. Alif Alif atoll Thoddhoo is the…