Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The Maldives Health Professionals Union (MHPU) has raised concerns over possible lack of over-time allowance for health workers in light of the new pay framework. After the government announced the last 10 days of Ramadan as a holiday period, it said that employees or workers requiring to come out for their professional duties due to the nature of their work, will be subject to a special allowance. In response to this, MHPU said that health industry workers and medical professionals were forced to work beyond the usual working hours, without over-time pay, in violation to the new pay framework that…

Sun Travels & Tours Pvt Ltd (“Sun”) has fully paid the arbitration awarded by Singapore arbitration to Hilton International Manage (Maldives) Pvt Ltd (“Hilton”) in relation to Sun’s termination of the Hotel Management Agreement dated February 27, 2009. According to Sun, it paid the total sum of USD 31,252,874.46 to Hilton, and additionally incurred another USD 5 million as costs of lawyers and experts in the arbitration proceedings. Irufushi Resort, located on Medhafushi in Noonu atoll was developed into a 221-room, 5-star property by Sun, and opened its doors officially to the guests in August 2008. By the end of…

Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) has cleared over 2,200 containers from March 21 to March 31, 2024. According to the authority, it had cleared a total of 2,218 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) during the last 10 days of the previous month. The total clearance include 922 units of 20-footers and 648 units of 40-footers. The top cleared items during this period include eggs, watermelon, and potatoes among other items. Top Cleared Items Eggs – 19,715 cartons Watermelon – 15,059 bags Potatoes – 6,908 bags Tomatoes – 5,584 crates Cabbage – 4,586 bags The top cleared items reflect the demand trend of…

Bank of Maldives (BML) on Sunday, enabled transactions on previously blocked foreign merchants including selected money transfer platforms and digital wallets. Customers can use the following cards to “seamlessly send and receive funds” from selected online foreign money transfer platforms, and digital wallets; BML Visa USD Credit Card Mastercard Prepaid USD Travel Card BML Debit Cards with USD account as the card’s primary account (to send funds only) “We understand the importance of supporting freelancers and small merchants who rely on payments received from overseas for their livelihoods and well-being and we are delighted to enable this for our customers…

The total tourist arrivals as of March 27, 2024 has reached close to hitting the 600,000 arrival mark. According to the Ministry of Tourism, total tourist arrivals as of the review date reached 576,952, which is 14.2% up from the same period last year; during which arrivals stood at 505,083. China maintains unwavering dominance with over 64,000 arrivals while Russia is inching close to the topper with close to 60,000 arrivals. While Italy started the year as the top source market, it is the third strongest with a little over 54,000 arrivals. Top 10 Markets China: 64,834 Russia: 59,679 Italy:…

Ooredoo Maldives announces its customers can now make Zakat payments via m-Faisaa service. Customers can select m-Faisaa service after downloading Ooredoo’s app, and by pressing on the Zakat tab. Customers will be required to input the amount and type of Zakat they prefer to pay, after which they will have to enter the wallet number in m-Faisaa. According to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, the eligible period for this year’s Zakat is from March 11 to April 6, 2024.

The cumulative state expenditure reaches MVR 8.9 billion as of March 21st, 2024, reports the Ministry of Finance. According to the ministry, cumulative revenues, including grants received to the state, reached MVR 7.7 billion in annual terms by the same review period. This indicates the overall balance for the period is a deficit of MVR 1.2 billion. The cumulative total of tax revenues reached MVR 6.5 billion by the review date, and non-tax revenue total in annual terms reached MVR 1.2 billion. While tax revenues increased in the review date compared to the same period last year, during which it…

The Maldives has been nominated for nine different titles in the World Travel Awards (WTA) Indian Ocean category this year. To garner public support, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has organized a special event, scheduled for March 28, 2024 from 09:15hrs to 13:15hrs at Velaanaage, Ground Floor, Male’ City. This voting event at Velaanaage ground floor presents an “exciting opportunity for the Maldivian community and travel enthusiasts to actively participate in this prestigious award.” Visitors can cast their votes and show support for the Maldives, but also enter a raffle draw with an “enticing” free-stay sponsored by ITAW…

Maldives government on Wednesday signed with Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) for Faafu atoll Nilandhoo land reclamation. MTCC CEO Abdulla Ziyad signed the agreement on behalf of the contractor while Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib signed on behalf of the government. Under the agreement, MTCC will reclaim 42.6 hectares of land and install a 2,098-meter rock boulder revetment, with another 1,400-meter geo-bag revetment. MTCC is contractually obligated to deliver the project within 390 days.

Robinson Noonu, a leading all-inclusive resort in the Maldives announced its nomination by World Travel Awards for the 2024 edition. The property announced it has been nominated for the ‘Best Honeymoon Resort Maldives’ and ‘Best Family Resort Maldives’ titles at the WTA 2024. The World Travel Awards is a globally recognized awarding body recognizing excellence in the travel and tourism industry. Robinson Noonu’s nomination underscores the property’s dedication to provide memorable experiences for honeymooners and families. “We are incredibly honored to be nominated for the World Travel Awards as the best family and honeymoon resorts in Maldives,” said JanHendrik Karliczek,…