Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives adds free scuba diving for guests as part of their stay just days after nabbing Best Dive Resort 2023 award. “This inclusion sets us apart from our competitors and offers something pretty fantastic for keen scuba divers visiting the Maldives,” Mark Eletr, the General Manager of the property said. “Just like we include breakfast, snorkeling lessons and access to the Kids’ Club as part of a stay, we now include diving!” Mark added. Kandooma Maldives boats of its own five-star PADI dive center dubbed the ‘Kandooma Dive’ complete with experienced and professional dive instructors. The…

“Maldives Ocean Hackathon” kicks off with a prize pool of USD 10,000. This is the largest hackathon to be hosted in the Maldives ever. The hackathon is part of the “Digital Maldives for Adaptation, Decentralization, and Diversification” project, overseen by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology. The initiative is funded by the World Bank. The hackathon will run continuously for 48 hours, and will be attended by teams consisting of three to five members. The event allows only 10 teams to participate. During the launch of the event, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna stressed…

The year-to-date total of tourist arrivals to the Maldives reached 1,238,275 as of September 2, 2023. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s statistics, this is exactly 661,725 short of reaching the 1.9 million annual arrival target set by the Maldives government. The year-to-date arrival total is a 14.1% increment from the same period last year during which arrivals stood at 1,085,442. Tourist Arrivals – Monthly January: 172,499 February: 177,915 March: 173,514 April: 164,357 May: 120,959 June: 120,363 July: 145,620 August: 154,854 Top 10 Markets (as of Sep 2) Russia: 145,666 India: 136,497 China: 122,181 UK: 101,190 Germany: 81,573 Italy: 79,813…

Five-star boutique resort in Lhaviyani atoll Fushifaru Maldives celebrates winning one of the two “Best Boutique Resort” accolades at this year’s Travel Trade Maldives (TTM) Awards. This accolade recognizes the tourist property’s efforts to offer “outstanding hospitality and exceptional service” and their dedication to creating special experiences said Visit Maldives. This year becomes special for Fushifaru Maldives as their TTM Awards win is an addition into a longer chair of achievements for the property in 2023 including the “Traveller Review Award” from Booking.com, the “International Sustainable Award” at the Luxury Lifestyle Award 2023, and the “Best Hotel Sustainability Progress” Award…

Four Seasons Kuda Huraa held a grand send-off for 21 “adventurous” Maldivians who are all set to travel to Palau to advance their hospitality careers. The send-off ceremony held at an avant-garde venue in the luxury slip was graced by Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom. The minister spoke with the apprentices embarking on the year-long journey aboard Four Seasons Explorer; a 39-meter (128-foot) luxury catamaran. The Four Seasons Explorer features three decks, 10 staterooms, a PADI five-star dive center, restaurant, bar, lounge and a library. Speaking to the aspiring tourism industry professionals, Dr. Mausoom said “ambassadors come in all…

State Trading Organization (STO) introduces products of one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca product line launch in the Maldives was officiated by the Minister of State for Health Ahmed Adil at a ceremony held in Kurumba Maldives. The event was attended by STO Managing Director Abdulla Saeed, the Business Manager of AstraZeneca Abhishek Kaushik along with prominent figures in the Maldivian pharmaceutical scene. Under an exclusive distributorship agreement with AstraZeneca, STO, the largest state-owned enterprise (SOE), also the largest and leading medical supplier in the Maldives will be providing the United Kingdom-based AstraZeneca’s products in…

State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) commences upgrading of Alifu Dhaalu atoll Dhangethi water network grid. The upgrade works was officiated by STELCO Managing Director Ahmed Shareef at a special ceremony held last Thursday, August 31 along with Dhangethi council’s deputy president Imran Ahmed. Speaking at the ceremony, Dhangethi council’s deputy president highlighted how the water network which was officially launched back in 2018 was never fully utilized. He also pointed out to the issue of water salination the island faced due to which guests have complained for years. Dhangethi is a local tourism heavy island with 18 guesthouses totaling 280…

Eyecare Private Limited hands over the new water and sanitation system developed in Alifu Dhaalu atoll Mandhoo. The system was developed under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of Eyecare, for which the company signed with Mandhoo island council on August 17, 2016. After Eyecare handed over the system to the council, the authority had assigned State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) in managing the system to deliver its services for the local community. The project falls under STELCO’s ongoing efforts to expand its business and services portfolio as well. The new water and sanitation system was officially inaugurated by STELCO…

Tree Top Family Clinic is now open on Fridays to cater to the patients. The hospital reported that the decision was made to allow patients to access care and services seven days a week. The range of services from the clinic include preventive care, check-ups, health risk assessments, vaccinations, work permit medicals, and counseling. The clinic offers patients the opportunity to learn how to identify early signs of illness and seek treatment easily. Consultations are available for patients of all ages. On Fridays, the clinic will be open from 15:00hrs to 22:00hrs.

Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has reported that the transactions conducted through the Maldives Instant Payment System ‘Favara’ amounted to over MVR 10 million in under two days. The central bank reported a total of 3,676 transactions conducted so far through the instant payment system, which amounts to a total of MVR 10.6 million. A total of three banks were onboarded with Favara before its launch which included Bank of Maldives (BML), Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB), and State Bank of India (SBI). The current maximum fund transfer limit for a single transaction through Favara is MVR 50,000, while the maximum amount…