Author: Mohamed Reehaan
The State Trading Organization (STO) has signed with the Ministry of Health to procure and deliver a total of 20 ambulances to the Maldivian health sector. This comes as the first prominent arrangement by the largest state-owned enterprise (SOE) in the country with a state body since the appointment of STO’s new front man Abdulla Saeed. Saeed had signed the agreement on behalf of STO and the Minister of State for Health Ahmed Adil signed on behalf of the ministry. STO is required to procure and deliver the ambulances within a 90-day period. The enterprise had earlier delivered close to…
The Maldives government collected a total revenue of MVR2.19 billion in March 2023, reported the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA). According to the taxation and revenue authority, the government earned 100.99 million out of this monthly total in US Dollars. Moreover, the total revenues collected to the state went down by 1.2% compared to March 2022. The slight drop in revenues was mainly due to the decline in the collection of Corporate Income Tax and Non-resident Withholding Tax. Additionally, tourism land rent collections observed a decline in the review month compared to March 2022. Although the revenue collection observed a…
The Maldives government has already utilized 60% of the budget allocated for Aasandha for the fiscal year 2023. Aasandha is the state-initiated health insurance and social protection initiative with the aim of supporting Maldivian citizens in their medical needs. Statistics from the Ministry of Finance revealed that the government has already utilized MVR628.1 million out of the annual total of MVR1,045.0 million (MVR1.05 billion) allocated in the budget. The government had spent only MVR345 million during the first quarter in 2022, but that was against an annual total of MVR730 million; almost MVR300 million less than this year’s allocation. While…
The Maldives has been nominated for several awards under the Indian Ocean category at the World Travel Awards 2023. Among the multiple nomination nods, Maldives is nominated for the “Indian Ocean’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination 2023” award, one of the more prominent accolades in the event. The Maldives is nominated for the award alongside four other island nations in the region. Voting for the World Travel Awards 2023 is currently open, and will remain effective until 30th April 2023. Besides the high-profile Sustainable Destination nomination nod, the Maldives has been nominated for multiple awards under the Indian Ocean category which…
The Ministry of Tourism has confirmed it is preparing to resume the special talk series “Tourism Upbeat” once again. “Tourism Upbeat” is a special talk series focusing on the Maldivian tourism industry. The series first commenced in February 2022 as part of the Golden Year of Tourism celebrations. The show was created with the aim of creating awareness and provide information to encourage students to take up tourism industry jobs. Each session of the series is focused on a singular theme, and invites a panel of high-profile speakers to impart their knowledge and share their experience with the attendees. The…
The Bank of Maldives (BML) has said proposals to its Community Fund will be accepted until 13th April 2023, Thursday. BML launched its Community Fund to held local NGOs and associations to execute community-centric projects in key focused areas which include, environment, education, sports, and community empowerment. Winning proposals will secure a funding of MVR 50,000 towards their respective projects. The bank will extend financing under the Community Fund to registered associations and organizations only. BML has provided financial support under the #AharengeBank Community Fund initiative for over 80 projects across the Maldives.
The state revenues and grants for February 2023 is MVR4,081.6 million (MVR4.2 billion), a 117.0% percent rise compared to the same month in 2022, reported the Ministry of Finance. According to the ministry, the total expenditure for the month increased by 5.1% compared to the same month last year. Capital expenditure declined by 5.1% whereas recurrent expenditure observed a 14.5% increment. The fiscal balance for the month gives an overall deficit of MVR739.7 million. Revenues and Grants Tax Revenues: MVR1,792.5 million (MVR1.8 billion) Non-tax Revenues: MVR639.6 million Proceeds from Sale of Assets: MVR0.2 million Grants: MVR3.1 million Expenditure Recurrent Expenditure:…
The total number of tourist arrivals as of 08th April 2023 is less than 30,000 shy from hitting a year-to-date total of 600,000. According to the Ministry of Tourism statistics, tourist arrivals as of the review date reached 572,740 which is a 21.9% increment compared to the 469,816 year-to-date total by the corresponding period in 2022. Tourist Arrivals – by Month January: 172,499 (2023) | 131,765 (2022) | 92,103 (2021) February: 177,915 (2023) | 149,011 (2022) | 96,882 (2021) March: 173,514 (2023) | 150,748 (2022) | 109,585 (2021) Tourist arrivals from 01st to 08th April reached 48,812 which is a…
The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) along with 15 industry partners have promoted the island nation’s tourism industry at the WTM Latin America (WTM LATAM) 2023. The event was held from 3rd to 5th April at the José Bernando Pinto, 333, Vila Guilherme, São Paulo, Brazil. The WTM LATAM is considered as a prominent fair in the region, while participation in the event will strengthen the Maldives’ brand presence in the Latin America market, said MMPRC. The fair is also one of the major B2B travel and tourism events for the Latin American market, offering excellent business opportunities…
Intour Maldives presented the “Ultimate Luxury Collection”, an exclusive coffee table book covering the Maldivian tourism industry, to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). While presenting the book, Intour Maldives claimed that it valued the work and effort put by MMPRC to market the destination in several key source markets. Intour Maldives, now a Serandipian Member Agency, is one of the pioneers in luxury tourism in the country with over 27 years of experience. The latest publication adds to the company’s existing portfolio of marketing materials including the company’s annual brochure.