Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Maldives government has revised the bid opportunity announcement for tourist resort development by including Thaa atoll Ruthibirah. The ministry on Sunday, September 1, announced that Ruhthibirah, an 8-hectare island, is now available for interested investors with a minimum financial capacity of USD 2 million (MVR 31 million) with the lowest acquisition cost set at USD 875,000 (MVR 13.4 million). This revision comes after the ministry earlier on August 21, announced the bidding for Haa Alifu atoll Medhufushi and Shaviyani atoll Nalandhoo. The successful bidders must develop a minimum of 120 tourist beds in Medhufushi, 200 in Nalandhoo and 100 beds…

The cumulative total of Goods and Services Tax (GST) as of August 24, reached MVR 8.5 billion. From the total GST collection, state earned MVR 5.7 billion in Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST) and MVR 2.8 billion in General Goods and Services Tax (GGST). Top Tax Revenues TGST: MVR 5.8 billion GGST: MVR 2.8 billion Corporate Income Tax: MVR 2.6 billion Import Duties: MVR 2.0 billion Withholding Tax: MVR 783.9 million Top Non-Tax Revenues Rent from Resorts: MVR 965.5 million SOE Dividends: MVR 658.4 million Airport Development Fee: MVR 644.1 million Registration and License Fees: MVR 514.7 million Interest…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has concluded the advertising campaign with BBC Global to promote Maldivian tourism worldwide. MMPRC said the campaign was designed to raise awareness and consideration for driving sustainable developmental, experiential tourism, and local-led initiatives in the Maldives. The campaign was also focused on driving up repeat visitation to the Maldives from the BBC audience through this content and raise awareness on the diversity of tourism products and segments. The campaign promoted Maldives as the ideal travel destination that caters to the needs and wants of travelers in line with emerging travel trends. The activities…

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives adds free scuba diving for guests as part of their stay just days after nabbing Best Dive Resort 2023 award. “This inclusion sets us apart from our competitors and offers something pretty fantastic for keen scuba divers visiting the Maldives,” Mark Eletr, the General Manager of the property said. “Just like we include breakfast, snorkeling lessons and access to the Kids’ Club as part of a stay, we now include diving!” Mark added. Kandooma Maldives boats of its own five-star PADI dive center dubbed the ‘Kandooma Dive’ complete with experienced and professional dive instructors. The…

“Maldives Ocean Hackathon” kicks off with a prize pool of USD 10,000. This is the largest hackathon to be hosted in the Maldives ever. The hackathon is part of the “Digital Maldives for Adaptation, Decentralization, and Diversification” project, overseen by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology. The initiative is funded by the World Bank. The hackathon will run continuously for 48 hours, and will be attended by teams consisting of three to five members. The event allows only 10 teams to participate. During the launch of the event, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna stressed…

The year-to-date total of tourist arrivals to the Maldives reached 1,238,275 as of September 2, 2023. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s statistics, this is exactly 661,725 short of reaching the 1.9 million annual arrival target set by the Maldives government. The year-to-date arrival total is a 14.1% increment from the same period last year during which arrivals stood at 1,085,442. Tourist Arrivals – Monthly January: 172,499 February: 177,915 March: 173,514 April: 164,357 May: 120,959 June: 120,363 July: 145,620 August: 154,854 Top 10 Markets (as of Sep 2) Russia: 145,666 India: 136,497 China: 122,181 UK: 101,190 Germany: 81,573 Italy: 79,813…

Five-star boutique resort in Lhaviyani atoll Fushifaru Maldives celebrates winning one of the two “Best Boutique Resort” accolades at this year’s Travel Trade Maldives (TTM) Awards. This accolade recognizes the tourist property’s efforts to offer “outstanding hospitality and exceptional service” and their dedication to creating special experiences said Visit Maldives. This year becomes special for Fushifaru Maldives as their TTM Awards win is an addition into a longer chair of achievements for the property in 2023 including the “Traveller Review Award” from Booking.com, the “International Sustainable Award” at the Luxury Lifestyle Award 2023, and the “Best Hotel Sustainability Progress” Award…

Four Seasons Kuda Huraa held a grand send-off for 21 “adventurous” Maldivians who are all set to travel to Palau to advance their hospitality careers. The send-off ceremony held at an avant-garde venue in the luxury slip was graced by Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom. The minister spoke with the apprentices embarking on the year-long journey aboard Four Seasons Explorer; a 39-meter (128-foot) luxury catamaran. The Four Seasons Explorer features three decks, 10 staterooms, a PADI five-star dive center, restaurant, bar, lounge and a library. Speaking to the aspiring tourism industry professionals, Dr. Mausoom said “ambassadors come in all…

State Trading Organization (STO) introduces products of one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca product line launch in the Maldives was officiated by the Minister of State for Health Ahmed Adil at a ceremony held in Kurumba Maldives. The event was attended by STO Managing Director Abdulla Saeed, the Business Manager of AstraZeneca Abhishek Kaushik along with prominent figures in the Maldivian pharmaceutical scene. Under an exclusive distributorship agreement with AstraZeneca, STO, the largest state-owned enterprise (SOE), also the largest and leading medical supplier in the Maldives will be providing the United Kingdom-based AstraZeneca’s products in…

State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) commences upgrading of Alifu Dhaalu atoll Dhangethi water network grid. The upgrade works was officiated by STELCO Managing Director Ahmed Shareef at a special ceremony held last Thursday, August 31 along with Dhangethi council’s deputy president Imran Ahmed. Speaking at the ceremony, Dhangethi council’s deputy president highlighted how the water network which was officially launched back in 2018 was never fully utilized. He also pointed out to the issue of water salination the island faced due to which guests have complained for years. Dhangethi is a local tourism heavy island with 18 guesthouses totaling 280…