Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Maldives Vice President Faisal Naseem emphasized on the vital contribution of women to social development, and urged for extra efforts to create opportunities for women in various sectors. Vice President made these remarks at the Islamic Center during the function commemorating this year’s World Population Day. Speaking at the function, Naseem highlighted the importance of women’s empowerment and its impact on social stability and community development. He also noted the current administration’s efforts to support women, and called for more efforts to enhance opportunities for women. At the function, the Maldives VP launched the ‘State of the World Population Report’…

The year-to-date total of state expenditures reached a total of MVR 22.8 billion as of July 06, 2023, reports the Ministry of Finance. According to the ministry, the year-to-date total of revenues inclusive of foreign grants reached MVR 16.8 billion as of the review date. With this, the overall balance for the period is a deficit of MVR5.95 billion. State’s revenues, both tax and non-tax saw improvement by the review date as compared with the corresponding period last year. As such, the cumulative total of tax earnings by July 06 stood at MVR 12.7 billion compared to MVR 10.7 billion…

Tourist arrivals to the Maldives has reached a year-to-date total of 952,608 as of July 5, indicating a 14.2% annual increment. Meanwhile, the total tourist arrivals from July 1 to 5 is at 23,001, indicating a 9.7% increment from the same period last year during which arrivals stood at 20,967. While the arrivals in June observed an 8.5% increment, arrivals in May fell -3.6% compared to the same month last year. Top 10 Markets (as of July 5) India: 112,771 Russia: 111,519 UK: 81,707 China: 67,822 Germany: 67,064 Italy: 65,095 USA: 39,773 France: 30,581 Switzerland: 20,185 South Korea: 17,687 Meanwhile,…

Thailand’s hospitality and lifestyle conglomerate Minor International Public Company (MINT) and its financial partner, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) have acquired the Amari Havodda Maldives for USD 60 million. This is the first hotel transaction in the Maldives for 2023, according to JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, which advised the vendor, Crystal Plaza Resorts on the sale. The 120-villa Amari Havodda Maldives features one of the largest infinity pools in the Maldives, and was designed by famous French interior designer Isabelle Miaja. “The long-term confidence in the Maldives hotels space has again been reinforced through this groundbreaking transaction, which…

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday, July 10, officially launched the one-stop portal for all government rendered services, “oneGov”. The ‘oneGov’ portal was developed by TradeNet Maldives as part of the current government’s Single Window initiative, and was completed within a two-year timeframe. The portal currently offers services provided by five government bodies which include the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure (MNPHI), Health Protection Agency (HPA), Ministry of Tourism, and the Fuvahmulah City Council. Speaking about the platform, its architect Shinaz Saeed noted that the concept for the portal was to create an…

The Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Aminath Shauna said that the government’s inter-agency communication system, GEMS fared very poorly before the current administration assumed office. During the ceremony held to launch the government’s digital portal ‘oneGov’, Minister Shauna said that GEMS services lagged especially in processing letters between government agencies. She also noted that it often took two to three days for letters to be drafted and sent through the GEMS portal, resulting in a rise in complaints due to lengthy response times. According to the minister, the government’s inter-agency communication system, GEMS, launched in 2010 faced significant…

National Boating Association of Maldives (NBAM) announces Maldives Boating Awards 2023 with 33 different categories. The Boating Award is specifically conferred to the safari vessels operating in the Maldivian tourism industry, and is given to acknowledge their contributions. NBAM has already opened application window for the awards on July 10, Monday and will last until August 10. The association adds the awarding event is scheduled for December 2023. While 33 categories have been announced, these include awards for liveaboards and safari vessels. Various categories include Best Captain, Best Chef, Best Crew Member, Best Engineer, and Best Cruise Manager among other…

Hotels and Resorts Investments (HRIM) has partnered with Finland’s Meyer Floating Solutions to build floating villas in the Maldives. The USD 200 million worth partnership aims to develop luxury-standard floating villas for the ultra-wealthy travelers. Signing for the partnership between HRIM and Meyer Floating Solutions was held at Kurumba Maldives. The project involves development of 13 luxury-tier floating villas in Kaafu atoll Vilivaru. Meyers Floating Solutions, the initiative’s partner is hailed as the largest developer of cruise lines worldwide. Speaking about the new collaboration, HRIM Chairman Mohamed Ali Janah said that the European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided required funds…

Bank of Maldives (BML) on Monday, July 10, opened applications for proposals under its Community Fund initiative for the second phase of 2023. The Community Fund is open to locally registered non-government organizations (NGOs) to access funds up to MVR 50,000 to implement projects in key areas such as education, environment, sports, and community development. BML also said that all registered NGOs in Male’ and other islands are eligible to apply. The national bank announced that in the second phase of the fund, a total of 10 projects will be selected from the proposals received. A total of 20 projects…

Complaints have been mounting from the public over the significantly high electricity bills in June 2023. While it is common for electricity bills to hike during hot season every year, State Electric Company (STELCO) attributed the high charge on bills to higher electricity consumption during the period. Consumers meanwhile, have raised complaints since the Maldives experienced more rainy days on average throughout June. Most of the complaints were directed at the bills being higher compared to the hot season. “The bills continue to surge with each passing month. [They said] that the highest consumption will be reflected in April, but…