Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Trade between the Maldives and China will increase to USD 1 billion per annum with the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries, said President’s Office Spokesperson Heena Waleed. She said this at a press conference on Monday, where Heena remarked the FTA implementation between both countries will increase benefits for businesses and the public. The two countries already engage in bilateral trade worth over USD 700 million per annum, Heena noted, and said that the FTA implementation would see this figure rise up to USD 1 billion. She further said that the agreement will also…

Maldivian, the country’s national carrier, has announced its flights can now be booked directly from Trip.com effective September 13, 2024. This is a notable leap for the flagship carrier, making its services even more accessible to travelers around the globe. This partnership with Trip.com, Maldivian said, both strengthens the airline’s presence in the online space and open new opportunities for passengers to visit the Maldives with ease.

Let’s Go Maldives has been officially appointed as the General Sales Agent (GSA) for Air Arabia in the Maldives. This appointment marks a significant milestone in strengthening Air Arabia’s presence in the Maldives, while driving up the arrival figures from the market and offering travelers the service of cost-effective travel solutions. Let’s Go Maldives will be responsible for all sales, marketing, and operational activities related to Air Arabia in the Maldives. These responsibilities include handling the following; Ticketing Reservations Outbound Travel package sales “We are excited to represent Air Arabia in the Maldives. This partnership allows us to support travelers…

The Maldives government, via the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), collected a revenue of MVR 1.98 billion for the month of August 2024, a 24% increment from the corresponding month of 2023. Out of the total, 62.82 million was collected in US dollars. MIRA reports this increase is mainly due to the significant increment in Non-Resident Withholding Tax, Corporate Income Tax, GST and Green Tax. Receipt of Capital Gains Withholding Tax in August and late payment of Income Tax from Corporate and non-individual led to the favorable outcome in the review month. Moreover, tourist arrivals for July 2024 increased by…

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has urged for an immediate stop on the over-priced sale of medicine for illicit profiteering. He has urged relevant authorities to step with stringent measures against culpable parties with the wider aim of reducing wastage on Aasandha health insurance scheme. The Maldives head of state made the call in a post on X, and highlighted the high mark-up of the medicine retailed across local pharmacies. He added relevant authorities have been directed to take measures to curb this. “The retail price of medicine sold in the Maldives market is between a mark-up of between 200% and…

The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) has represented the island nation at the recent “2024 Tropical Coastal City Tourism Event” held in Sanya, Hainan, China from September 04 to 05, 2024. The event, supported by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) was organized by the Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, TV, and Sports of Sanya City and Sanya Tourism Board. The Maldives delegation included MMPRC Chairperson, Abdulla Ghiyas Riyaz and the tourism board’s CEO, Ibrahim Shiuree. Ghiyas delivered a compelling address on “The Maldives Story & Innovative Tourism Marketing for Tropical Cities” during the thematic sharing portion…

Ooredoo Maldives and Qatar have discussed on further strengthening the collaborative efforts between the two. The discussions were held between the Qatari ambassador to the Maldives Jassim bin Jaber J.B. Al-Sorour and Ooredoo Maldives CEO Khalid Al-Khamadi. The Qatari ambassador to the Maldives is currently visiting the Maldives. His visit, Ooredoo Maldives said, underscores the strong diplomatic ties between the Maldives and Qatar, and highlights Ooredoo Maldives as the largest Qatar-based foreign investment in the Maldives. Al-Sorour was warmly received by Ooredoo Maldives’ senior leadership, including Al-Khamadi, who provided an overview of the company’s achievements, ongoing projects, and future plans.…

Bank of Maldives (BML) Chief Executive Officer, Karl Stumke, has resigned from his post. The bank confirmed Stumke’s resignation on Monday in a statement, and added he tendered resignation on Sunday. Though resigned, Karl will remain as the bank’s CEO until its Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) scheduled for September 21, 2024. Deputy CEO Aishath Noordeen will assume the top executive position’s role following Stumke’s exit. “The Board of Directors will commence recruitment process to search for a replacement,” BML said. Though Noordeen earlier resigned from the bank’s board on August 25, 2024, she is still the bank’s Deputy CEO. Noordeen’s…

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives announces ‘Missy Higgins’, one of Australia’s most well known and respected singer/songwriters to perform at the private island resort for the first time. Kandoom Maldives is bringing the top-tier performance in collaboration with the event organizers ‘Music in Paradise’. The performance is scheduled from June 14 to 21, 2025. The week-long event combines all the attributes of a tropical island getaway with three intimate performances by Missy Higgins. Kandooma Maldives has announced a Gold Experience package, priced ad AUD 3,950 per person, twin share for seven nights staying in a Beach Villa at the resort.…

Team ‘Husbulhi’ won the championship title at Ooredoo Masrace 2024 – Lh. Naifaru round. According to Ooredoo Maldives, the champion team won a cash prize of MVR 25,000 following a day of competitive fishing among the teams. As part of Ooredoo Maldives’ 19th anniversary, this year’s Masrace was held in three locations; K. Himmafushi, Lh. Naifaru, and GDH. Thinadhoo. Team Husbulhi secured top spot with 921.4 points, while Chill Broz emerged as the runners-up with 698.45 points and team Korakali landed third with 438.3 points. Mohamed Nasheed from team Alifas took the ‘Heaviest Catch’ title for the successful catch of…