Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has participated in the ITB Asia 2023 alongside 27 industry partners. The event was held at Sands Expo & Convention Center, Singapore, from October 25 to 27. The ITB Asia expo is considered as one of the region’s leading travel B2B trade shows, designed to be the primary event for the Asia Pacific travel industry. The event features thousands of exhibitors from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. MMPRC marketed the Maldives by promoting the country’s tourism products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses, liveaboards) and the diversity of unique experiences…

Aasandha, the government-initiated health insurance scheme, has introduced a new verification step requiring pharmacists or pharmacies to enter an OTP sent to the customer’s phone before issuing medication for prescriptions. A number of pharmacies in Male’ region have already started using this method. Information including the phone number and national ID card of the customer is acquired before sending the OTP. The prescription is filled only after the OTP has been received and entered into the system. Aasandha Media official Ashiya Solih said this arrangement was made in response to complaints from public. She said that the public have raised…

Government’s losses and write-offs reached MVR 374 million as of October 12, which is thrice more than originally budgeted for 2023. The Ministry of Finance in its most recent Weekly Fiscal Development said the budgeted total for losses and write-offs in 2023 is MVR 101.2 million; which indicates the actual expenditure for the component has already observed a 270% increase. It was reported that the budget allocated for losses and write-offs exhausted completely by the first half of 2023. The government’s losses and write-offs in its recurrent expenditure include compensations provided to public companies and other contractors. According to the…

JLL has reported an impressive USD 1.9 billion in hotel sales over the last two decades in the Maldives. The real estate conglomerate and prominent broker in its “Maldives Investment Guide” said that Maldives is a resilient destination that has withstood “multiple global crises.” JLL noted that Maldives witnessed a shift in international visitation patterns as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic led border closure of China. Noting the visitation pattern change, JLL observed the remarkable growth of India at 1.8 times year-on-year, which eventually helped the market to surpass China as the leading source market in 2022. JLL further…

Voyages Maldives has been appointed as the supervision agent for Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic, one of the leading UK airlines, launched direct flights between London Heathrow and Velana International Airport (VIA) last Monday. The second largest UK airline began operating direct flights to the Maldives three times a week; on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Voyages Maldives said the UK airline founded by Sir Richard Branson will operate direct flights from November 2023 to March 2024.

Dhiraagu has initiated the distribution of bibs and race kits for the upcoming Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race (DMRR) 2023. The DMRR Bib Expo commenced on Tuesday, October 24, where registered runners or sprinters can collect their bibs and race kits. Dhiraagu is distributing the kits and bibs from the first floor of the telecom provider’s headquarters. Each race kit includes a bib equipped with a timing chip, a race T-shirt, a drawstring bag, and four safety pins. Runners are required to present their ID card and bib number to collect their race kits and bibs. The 2023 DMRR event is…

State Electric Company (STELCO) has donated MVR 500,000 to aid Palestine. The donation was sent through International Aid Campaign (IAC), a local NGO founded for the cause of providing humanitarian aid to Palestine and similar war-stricken Muslim communities. STELCO said the donation comes from their allocation for the community social responsibility (CSR) efforts. The funds were donated to IAC’s “We are with Palestine” Fund. Besides STELCO, other major state-owned enterprises including the State Trading Organization (STO) have made sizeable donations for the cause as well. So far, IAC has collected donations amounting to approximately MVR 18 million do date.

Maldives Police Service said they have received possible incriminating evidence or information of potential financial mismanagement by senior members of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM). The law enforcement authority said of discovering sufficient information suggesting FAM seniors members transferring money received to the association by FIFA and other international federations, to their personal accounts and to the accounts of their close associates. Maldives Police Service raided the FAM headquarters on Sunday, October 22. While an official word on the matter has not been collected, it was reported that local police notified the Prosecutor General’s Office of financial mismanagement, corruption…

The latest and largest Crown & Champa Resorts opening, Jawakara Islands Maldives unveils on October 22, 2023. The two-island resort is the latest in the impressive C&C portfolio of properties that include Kudadoo Maldives Private Island, Hurawalhi Maldives, and Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa among others. “Jawakara is designed to be every family’s dream for a luxury getaway – every detail has been thought of for all generations alike for an all-encompassing offering that will define Jawakara as the pioneer for luxury multi-generational travel in classically Maldivian surroundings.” — Maurice Van Den Bosch, General Manager, Jawakara Islands Maldives Jawakara is…

Maldivian fishers have donated over MVR 170,000 to aid Palestinians following Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the Palestine civilians. The largest donation of MVR 127,433 to the Palestine Fund was made by a local fishing vessel named “Rasta”, and two other vessels from Gaafu Alifu atoll named “Dhuveli 6” and “Hushiyaaru” donated MVR 25,000 each. Several fishing vessels earlier, made significant contributions to the fund. Last week, a vessel from Gaafu Alifu atoll Kanduhulhudhoo donated MVR 50,000. The fund, opened by International Aid Campaign (IAC), a local NGO, providing aid to Palestinians has raised over MVR 12 million for the…