Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The governments of United States and the United Kingdom have issued advisories to respective travelers to the Maldives, noting they may face threats related to terror incidents due to civil unrest at tourist locations, transportation hubs, local government facilities and shopping areas. US government has warned that terrorist groups may conduct attacks with little to no warning, which are likely to occur on remote islands. It was advised by the US government to its nationals to obtain assistance from the US embassy located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Earlier, it was reported that the UK government had come out with similar…

The large scale land reclamation project of Kaafu atoll Gulhifalhu will be officially inaugurated on July 02, Sunday. According to the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (MNPHI), a special ceremony is scheduled at 17:00hrs on Sunday afternoon, which will be broadcast live from state-run media. The second phase of Gulhifalhu land reclamation was contracted to Netherlands’ contractor Boskalis, which it was assigned to without bidding on October 17, 2019. The contractor reports the project will cost an approximate total of MVR 2 billion. Moreover, the contractor said a total of 18 million cubic-meters of sand will be filled…

The total tourist arrivals to the Maldives stood less than 80,000 from hitting the 1,000,000 arrival mark by June 28, 2023. According to the statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism, the tourist arrivals as of the last reviewed date stood at 920,156, which is a 14.2% annual increment compared to same period in 2022. Arrivals for the same period last year stood at 805,998 and at just 507,131 the year before that. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals for the period exclusively from 01st to 28th June stood at 110,912 which is a modest 7.0% increment compared to the same period in…

Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa celebrates one year of exceptional service with a plethora of activities. The 109 all-pool villa resort marked the expansion of Hilton’s award-winning flagship brand in the Maldives on July 1, 2022. The property was recently voted among the Top 10 Resorts in the Maldives at the 2023 Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific. “As we being our second year of operations, we are committed to delivering an even more outstanding overall experience at Hilton Maldives, where meaningful reconnections are made and lasting memories are created,” said Gaurav Thakur, the resort’s General Manager. The…

Vakkaru Maldives welcomes seasoned hospitality veteran Patrick Duff as the property’s new Resort Manager. With an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades and having had experienced some of the world’s most prestigious luxury hotel brands, Patrick’s appointment marks a new chapter in Vakkaru Maldives’ quest to deliver unparalleled service to its guests. Duff’s international track record includes roles in 14 different countries with well-known brands such as the Starwood Luxury Collection, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La, Sukhothai Bangkok, and One & Only among others. He was most recently serving as the Director of Operations [Task Force Rebrand] for Accor Resorts…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has initiated a joint marketing campaign with Kompas Tours. The campaign was commenced earlier in April 2023 and will last until the end of July. With the aim of promoting the Maldives in CIS region, the campaign will utilize native language to promote the Maldives and strengthen the destination brand in the CIS market. MMPRC’s partner in the campaign, Kompas Tours is a tour operator with over 17 years of experience in the CIS region. With a team of over 200 experienced managers, the firm is a multidisciplinary tour operator implementing its own…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) hosted a successful roadshow in Seoul, South Korea on June 21, 2023. The roadshow was aimed to connect with potential operators and agents in Seoul to further strengthen trade relationships and promote the Maldives as a top destination among South Korean travelers. A second roadshow was held two days later on June 23, 2023 in Busan, another busy city of South Korea. Along with MMPRC, a total of 11 prominent companies from the Maldivian tourism industry took part in the roadshows. The companies included; Angsana Velavaru LUX* South Ari Atoll Madifushi Private Island…

Maldives government collected a reported total of MVR 1.71 billion revenue in May 2023, according to Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA). According to the taxation and revenue authority, the total collection recorded for the review month is a 30.4% increment compared to the same month in 2022. MIRA said that this increase is mainly attributed to the surge in the collection of TGST, Corporate Income Tax, GGST, Airport Development Fee and Departure Tax. The change in GST rate led to a higher collection of GST compared to May 2022, added MIRA. Moreover, tourist arrivals of April 2023 had increased by…

The Maldives government collected a total of MVR 83.1 million in green tax in May 2023, reported the Ministry of Finance. According to the ministry’s most recent Green Fund Report, the breakdown is as follows; Total Green Tax: MVR 83,095,791 Tourist Properties (Resorts, Guesthouses and Hotels): MVR 80,594,220 Liveaboards/Vessels: MVR 2,500,284 Homestay: MVR 1,287 Highest Green Tax Collection (by atoll) Kaafu Atoll: MVR 29,746,134 Raa Atoll: MVR 8,269,735 Alifu Dhaalu Atoll: MVR 6,954,923 Alifu Alifu Atoll: MVR 5,906,753 Baa Atoll: MVR 5,158,650 Lowest Green Tax Collection (by atoll) Gnaviyani Atoll: MVR 18,824 Faafu Atoll: MVR 155,928 Haa Dhaalu Atoll: MVR…

The state expenditure in year-to-date basis has reached a total of MVR 19.9 billion as of 15th June 2023. On the other hand, state revenues inclusive of grants in cumulative terms reached MVR 14.7 billion by the same review date. While 68% of the budget was spent on recurrent needs, 32% was spent on capital requirements. As for the revenue, state earned 76% from tax sources and 24% from non-tax sources. The overall balance for the period is a deficit of MVR 5.2 billion. As of the review date, the cumulative tax revenue total reached MVR 11.2 billion. In the…