Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The latest update by Maldives Customs Service revealed total imports to the state for September 2022 increased by 27%, which amounts to MVR4.4 billion (including fuel). Moreover, imports excluding fuel rose by 25% which translates to MVR3.5 billion. Despite significant increment in imports, exports showed a decline. Customs confirmed exports declined by 4%, which amounts to MVR166 million. Major import categories; Fuel (marine gas oil – diesel, petrol, aviation gas) – MVR958 million Food items (excluding pork, alcohol, tobacco) – MVR773 million Machinery & mechanical appliance; electrical – MVR738 million Base metal and articles of base metal – MVR449 million…

Bank of Maldives kicked off their Innovation Lab Hackathon on 14th October, Friday at Jen Maldives Male’ by Shangri-La. The hackathon event kicked off with over 30 participants. According to the leading bank in the Maldivian nation, the hackathon is held under the theme of developing ‘Banking Solutions to Enhance Customer Experience.’ Individuals and teams registered for the 48-hour hackathon will compete to develop innovative fintech ideas and solutions, to enhance customer experience and operational excellence. Three winning teams will be selected to go to the Bank’s Innovation Lab. The teams will develop their winning ideas over a six-month period.…

Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer confirms state budget for 2023 will exceed MVR 41 billion. The minister made the declaration during Thursday’s press conference. Moreover, the minister claims this was a rough figure as the actual amount cannot be declared amid ongoing budget analysis. “We estimate the budget for the state for 2023 will be above MVR 41.5 billion,” he said adding, “the budget will reflect fiscal strategies for the following year.” With elections slated for 2023, the administration is vying against time to complete major developmental projects that have been state pledges. Budget approval post amendments at the parliament…

The design of the One-Time-Password (OTP) screen has changed with the recent update of Bank of Maldives (BML) payment gateway. Customers are expected to observe this change in the following days, said BML. The current payment gateway bears a white screen. Following the upgrade, the bank also urged its customer base to refrain from sharing OTP details of transactions. Moreover, the bank has brought changes to the security bypass interface for online transactions using American Express credit cards. With this update, customers have to enter a four-digit code to verify AmEx based online transactions. This authentication code is reflected on…

The Maldives has been nominated for the most prestigious title at the 29th Annual World Travel Awards (WTA). Maldives has been nominated in “World’s Leading Destination” category, for the third year in a row. The island nation secured the title earlier in 2020 and 2021, making this a potential “hat-trick” win for the country, which is celebrating its tourism golden jubilee. WTA’s “World’s Leading Destination” title is the most distinguished in the annual program, which itself is renowned as the most prestigious and comprehensive award in the global travel industry. Maldives won the title for the past two years, despite…

FlyDubai announced the airline will be launching direct flights to Addu City Gan, effective from February 2023. According to FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al-Gaith, the operations will commence exactly on 04th February 2023, with daily flight landings. “Maldives is a highly preferred holiday destination among Middle-Easterners, as well as people around the globe. In the coming days, Europe and Addu City Gan will be connected via FlyDubai,” he added. This is also the first-ever direct flight route beween Dubai and Gan. Business class and economy class fare for the route begins at USD1,600 and USD550 respectively.

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations (MMPRC) is taking part in the TTG Travel Experience 2022. The top tourism promoter of Maldives is participating in the travel trade fair to market the destination in the Italian market. TTG 2022 is held at Rimini, Italy with the event kicking off on Wednesday, 12th October and scheduled to run until 14th October, Friday. MMPRC is partaking along with several industry partners. The TTG Travel Experience, organized by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), is one of the leading B2B fairs to sell tourism products in the Italian market, as well as at a global…

Ministry of Health has contracted MedLand Private Limited to improve the services at Faafu Atoll Hospital. Government contracted the private company, to develop a central oxygen medical air and vacuum system. According to the ministry, the project aims to strengthen the provision of oxygen to the patients. Signing took place at a special ceremony on Tuesday, 11th October. The ministry’s Senior Executive Director Abdulla Hannan, signed on behalf of the state while MedLand’s Managing Director Fathuhulla Ali signed on behalf of the company. The project is reportedly valued at a total of MVR2.3 million.

Addu City Council has revealed its decision to issue a total of 298 land plots from the city’s Feydhoo island; nearly a decade since plots were issued from the island. Magudhoo district’s council member of Feydhoo, Ms. Aminath Salma had spoken to a local news media on Tuesday, 11th October, claiming a total of 320 land plots were planned for issuance under the first land use plan. After the plan was submitted to Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (MNPHI) for approval, the ministry instructed to exclude certain plots that have been declared as green zones. “The land use…

According to Travel News Asia, British tennis player Ms. Emma Raducanu, who was set to host a tennis clinic at Amilla Maldives Resort later in October, has pulled out of hosting the event. Ms. Raducanu was initially scheduled to fly to the Maldives to host a tennis clinic at the Amilla Maldives property. According to Travel News Asia, the British born tennis player was going to stay at the private island in Baa atoll from 25th October until 01st November 2022. Ms. Raducanu was expected to share her top tips and expert knowledge with guests, who wished to improve their…