Author: Mohamed Reehaan

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…

Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has showcased the digital transformation milestones, as part of its ease of doing business initiatives at the 2022 Corporate Registers Forum (CRM) annual conference in the Maldives. The conference was attended by representatives from 26 jurisdictions. The CRF is an association of international corporate registries with government agencies, which include United States, the UK, UAE and Singapore as members. At the forum, the SEC highlighted its digitalization efforts and how it helped the Philippine corporate sector, specifically amid the Covid-19 pandemic. During the forum, Chairman Emilio Aquino states the shift to digital transactions “was envisioned to…

Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at Kuda Huraa appoints its new General Manager, Mr. Didier Jardin. Mr. Jardin is a hospitality veteran, who has been with the Four Seasons since 1994. While he spent most of his formative years as a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ and a thrill-seeking daredevil, Mr. Jardin found a new calling in the hospitality field for which he completed a two-year apprenticeship to become a fine-dining waiter. While born in La Ferte Bernard and grew up in Loire Valley, Mr. Jardin moved to Paris after completing his apprenticeship, where he spent the next three years studying hotel management and earning…

Pakistan’s President Dr. Arif Alvi on Tuesday, 11th October, called for the need to further cement the bilateral ties between Maldives and Pakistan. He called to strengthen the ties in all fields “of mutual interest, especially in the education, health and tourism” sectors. The Pakistan head of state made the remarks while talking to Pakistan’s High Commissioner-designate to the Maldives Vice Admiral Muhammad Fayyaz Gilani. In their discussion, President Alvi advised the envoy-designate to “especially focus on establishing strategic ties with the Maldives” in trade, business and investment sectors, and strengthen people-to-people contacts. President Alvi also sought for bilateral cooperation…