Author: Mohamed Reehaan

E-Tourism Frontiers (ETF) announces the return of the DATA (Destination Advancement Through Analytics) Conference, scheduled for October 16, 2024. Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) will be hosting the event, which promises to reshape the landscape of travel and tourism through the power of analytics. “As the Maldives continues to solidify its position as a global tourism hotspot, DATA 2024 offers an invaluable platform for industry professionals to explore the transformative power of data analytics,” said the CEO and Managing Director of MMPRC, Ibrahim Shiuree. The DATA 2024 presents an impressive lineup of industry leaders and data experts,…

TechFin Maldives Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Ooredoo Maldives, on Monday announced officially receiving the Payment Service Provider (PSP) license from the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA). This milestone enables TechFin Maldives to operate as a licensed entity for payment services, that allows it to expand the role in providing innovative, secure, and state-of-the-art digital solutions to the Maldives people. The widely-used digital wallet of Ooredoo, m-Faisaa, and remittance services will come under TechFin Maldives with this move. The move is also aligned with Ooredoo Maldives’ strategy on enhancing its digital finance offerings and ensuring a more focused and streamlined approach…

The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has recovered MVR 639 million in outstanding tax debt through strong enforcement actions during the last business quarter. According to the Q2 report released by MIRA, it had collected a total of MVR 639,315,685 through various enforcement actions. This include amounts recovered under: Dunning: MVR 514,822,606 Dues Clearance: MVR 91,874,086 Account Freezing Policy: MVR 20,549,377 MIRA Arrears: MVR 11,924,177 Reminder calls/emails: MVR 135,439 Legal Action: MVR 10,000 The inland revenue authority also issued final notices to 10,796 non-filers and 8,947 non-complaint payers. MIRA also granted installment plans to 162 taxpayers, who collectively owe MVR…

The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has officially partnered with RX Global, the organizers of the World Travel Market (WTM), for the upcoming WTM London 2024. This partnership, MATATO said in a statement, solidified the association’s position as the only travel and tourism association in the Maldives to “secure such a significant collaboration” with the WTM. This is not the first instance of a MATATO partnership with WTM London, as their first collaboration dates back to 2016, when MATATO first made waves by entering into a similar agreement. “This renewal solidifies the association’s longstanding leadership in…

The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) has announced the “#Maldivesmoments2024” global competition launched on Friday, September 27, 2024. The competition, taking place until October 12, will explore participants’ artistic talent and creativity in showcasing the Maldives’ beauty, vibrant culture, and unforgettable experiences to the world. Participants are invited to share their most stunning photos and videos of the Maldives along with a brief description behind their capture and post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or LinkedIn using the hashtag #Maldivesmoments2024. The competition is open to the public, including both international visitors and Maldivian locals aged 18 and…

State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has contracted Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) to keep the utility provider’s premises clean. The parties signed the agreement on Thursday, September 26, 2024. STELCO Managing Director Hussain Fahmy signed the agreement on behalf of the utility provider, and WAMCO’s Managing Director Shaheed Ibrahim signed on behalf of the service provider. Under the agreement, WAMCO will maintain cleanliness of STELCO’s establishments in Male’, Hulhumale’, and Vilimale’. Besides this, WAMCO will clean STELCO’s housing towers in Hulhumale’ Phase II.

Soneva Fushi has once again been selected by The World’s 50 Best Hotels, ranking 8th; becoming the only Maldivian resort to make it to the top-50 list. The resort also landed the Lost Explorer Best Beach Hotel Award for the second consecutive year. “I am delighted that Soneva Fushi has been recognized once again by The World’s 50 Best Hotels as number 8 in the world, the ‘World’s Best Beach Resort’ for the second year in a row, and once again the only Maldives property in the top 50 list,” said Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and co-founder of Soneva. “At Soneva,…

The Bank of Maldives (BML) is celebrating 20 years of exclusive partnership with American Express. While the celebratory kick-off event was held in July, the bank announced a promotion for its American Express Credit cardholders on Monday, as part of the series of activities. Cardmembers can spend a minimum of MVR 3,000 to qualify for a lucky draw to win 20,000 BML rewards points, which can be used for flight, car or hotel bookings or to purchase gift cards from local and international merchants including Amazon, Apple, and Spotify. “We are proud to have introduced the first credit card in…

The State Bank of India (SBI) has subscribed the USD 50 million government treasury bill (T-bills) for one more year. Subscription of the T-bills, issued by the Ministry of Finance, was extended by one more year from the date of maturity of the previous subscription, which is this Thursday. Similarly, SBI had subscribed to a USD 50 million T-bills under the same mechanism earlier in May 2024, which too was on the request of the Maldives government much like the one on Thursday. “These subscriptions have been made at the special request of the Government of Maldives as emergency financial…

International bunkering services commences officially, for the first time ever, in the Maldives on Thursday, September 19, 2024. Bunkering is poised as a major economic industry for the Maldives, that will reportedly increase the state’s earnings by USD 400 million annually, and create tens of thousands of new job opportunities. The new initiative is a key vision of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu as well. The bunkering services, at Ihavandhippolhu – the northern-most tip of the Maldives – was officially launched by upper-north MPs. The opening ceremony was attended by State Trading Organization (STO) Managing Director Shimad Ibrahim, Maldives Ports Limited…