Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) held a vibrant ceremony on Wednesday, 18th January to mark the occasion of the first direct flight from China to the Maldives since 2020. The ceremony was held at Velana International Airport (VIA) to celebrate the arrival of flight JD455 from Beijing Daxing International Airport. This is the first visitors from China to fly directly to the Maldives following the border closure during the pandemic. At VIA, the Chinese direct arrivals were greeted with traditional BoduBeru, and a special gift pack with flowers. The event was attended by ministers, ambassadors and other…

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) claimed it was working to revise the Telegraphic Transfer (TT) limit. The central bank said it is working with local banks to resolve the dollar constraints and allow larger transactions for students living abroad. “This change will revise the policies under which banks issue US dollars to customers and make the process easier,” MMA said. Earlier, the Maldives central bank announced discontinuing the transfer of Maldivian Rufiyaa to students enrolled below A-Level standard abroad, which became effective on 01st January. With this change commercial banks are now only allowed to make international transfers in US…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) launches a new marketing campaign with McDonald’s; “Maldives… I’m Loving It!” MMPRC will share marketing content with McDonald’s Travel TV to promote the Maldives in the German-speaking markets; Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Under the campaign, MMPRC will advertise the Maldives in 700 McDonald’s outlets and will reach 35 million consumers. The advertisement will focus on the unique experiences of the Maldives including, beautiful underwater seascapes, shipwrecks, romantic experiences, and sandbanks. German-speaking markets are among the top source markets to the Maldives. The Ministry of Tourism confirmed 132,426 total arrivals from Germany in 2022;…

Maldives telecom and internet service provider Dhiraagu introduces a new 70GB data add-on. Dhiraagu said the new package worth MVR500 will have a 30-day validity period, and can be activated now. To act the new data add-on, customers can either send an SMS with “M500″ typed to 343 or subscribe through Dhiraagu App. Dhiraagu provides similar data add-ons to its prepaid customers under ‘Dhiraagu Combo Plans”, “Salhi Prepaid Plans”, and “Mamen”. The add-ons are prepared to grant data allowances based on customer preferences.

Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has revised their tax return forms for taxpayers reflecting the GST bump effective from 01st January 2023. The tax return form for the non-tourism taxpayer form (MIRA205) and the tourism taxpayer form (MIRA206) have been revised to reflect the GST change, MIRA said. In addition to the tax return forms, MIRA also revised the following; Input Tax Statement Output Tax Statement Capital Expenditure Information Sheet MIRA said taxpayers must submit the version 23.1 of the aforementioned forms when filing their tax returns for the taxable period that commenced after 01st January 2023.

Kaani Hotels has reportedly disbursed a total of USD75,600 (MVR1.1 million) in service charges for December 2022. The local tourism business paid USD420 (MVR6,476) to each of its 180 employees. This is also the highest-ever recorded service charge disbursed by a guesthouse operator in the Maldives, it is also higher than the average service charge payouts from most tourist resort properties. Earlier in November 2022, Kaani Hotels paid USD370 (MVR5,705) to its staff in service charges. The Chairman of Kaani Hotels and the current president of Guesthouse Association of Maldives (GAM) Abdulla Nasheed said that the company’s earnings grew significantly…

January has not ended and the Maldives already attracted over 81,000 global travelers. According to the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives has welcomed a total of 81,772 tourists as of 15th January 2023. Top 10 Markets 2023 (as of 15th Jan) Russia: 13,361 (16.3%) Italy: 9,131 (11.2%) India: 7,541 (9.2%) UK: 6,444 (7.9%) Germany: 5,023 (6.1%) USA: 3,855 (4.7%) France: 2,773 (3.4%) Kazakhstan: 1,906 (2.3%) Australia: 1,656 (2.0%) Switzerland: 1,577 (1.9%) The daily arrival average by the review date is at 5,451, and the average duration of stay is 8.3 days. Maldives recorded its highest single day arrival on Monday, 02nd…

Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) confirms completing two developmental projects. MTCC reported completing the harbor and channel dredging project in Sh. Noomaraa and the shore protection project in B. Dharavandhoo. The scope of the harbor and channel dredging project consisted of dredging 6,347 cubic meters. The harbor channel became shallow after it accumulated sand owing to strong tidal waves. MTCC confirmed the project rectified the shallow harbor to enhance safer vessel berthing. On the other hand, the shore protection project consisted of the construction of a 470 meters breakwater, 96 meters revetment, and beach filling with 10,800 cubic meters…

The Maldives government collected a total revenue of MVR2.58 billion in December 2022, reports Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA). MIRA reports a 27.4% increment in revenues when compared with December 2021. The authority said the increment in the collection of the Lease Period Extension Fee, GGST, Income Tax, and Non-Resident Withholding Tax contributed most towards the overall revenue increase. Additionally, the revenues collected in the review month were up by 77.0% from the initial projection. This was due to the significant increment in the collection of TGST, GGST, and Non-Resident Withholding Tax. Top Revenue Contributors GST: 34.2% | MVR882.4 million…

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen arrived Sunday morning on an official visit to the Maldives. He arrived at the invitation of Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This marks Hun Sen’s first visit to the Maldives. The Cambodian Prime Minister and his entourage were received at Velana International Airport (VIA) by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid. The Maldives government is expected to hold a ceremony on Monday to officially welcome Hun Sen to the Maldives. During the visit, President Solih will meet with Hun Sen and hold official…