Author: Mohamed Reehaan

Six Senses Kanuhura is now open again and welcoming new and returning guests. Situated in a pristine corner of the Lhaviyani aotll, this stretch with its long, palm-fringed, white sandy and two additional private islands has opened with the promise of a “reimagined tropical beach”. “The long-anticipated moment for the relaunch of Six Senses Kanuhura has arrived,” said Bryce Seator, the General Manager of the property, who added that this marked a “significant milestone in the island’s long history.” “It has been an exciting transformational journey, and we are very proud to unveil the reinvented island experience that takes guests…

Hot on the heels of winning on the ‘Best Pools’ accolade in the 2023 Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards, Dusit Thani Maldives has been nominated under the ‘Best Hotel in Maldives’ in the esteemed DestinAsian’s Annual Readers’ Choice Awards 2023. This nomination serves as a testament to the resort’s commitment to delivering exceptional hospitality experiences in the Maldives. The DestinAsian’s Readers’ Choice Awards are renowned for recognizing outstanding excellence in the travel and hospitality industry. The awards are based on the opinions and votes of discerning travelers who appreciate and value exceptional service, luxury, and remarkable destinations. “We are truly…

The 15th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka – Maldives Business Council (SLMLBC), The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held earlier on August 17, 2023. The AGM was held at Courtyard by Marriott, Colombo. The High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives to Sri Lanka, Ali Faiz graced the event as the chief guest with Ceylon Tours Managing Director Suren Ediriweera attending as a guest speaking. Kevin Edwards, who served as the outgoing President of the Sri Lanka – Maldives Business Council for 2022-2023 opened the meeting with an insightful speech, and emphasized on the statistical analysis of “how…

The CA Institute, the world’s largest professional accounting body, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Maldives (CA Maldives). The parties signed the agreement during the SAFA IFRS and ISAs Forum 2023 hosted by the CA Maldives on August 20, 2023. ICAI President Aniket Sunil Talati attended the SAFA Board meeting in the Maldives on August 21. The MoU was signed to establish cooperation for the advancement of “Accounting Knowledge, Professional and Intellectual Development” to advance the interest in “their respective members and positively contributing to the development” of the accounting profession in…

Maldives government has revised the bid opportunity announcement for tourist resort development by including Thaa atoll Ruthibirah. The ministry on Sunday, September 1, announced that Ruhthibirah, an 8-hectare island, is now available for interested investors with a minimum financial capacity of USD 2 million (MVR 31 million) with the lowest acquisition cost set at USD 875,000 (MVR 13.4 million). This revision comes after the ministry earlier on August 21, announced the bidding for Haa Alifu atoll Medhufushi and Shaviyani atoll Nalandhoo. The successful bidders must develop a minimum of 120 tourist beds in Medhufushi, 200 in Nalandhoo and 100 beds…

The cumulative total of Goods and Services Tax (GST) as of August 24, reached MVR 8.5 billion. From the total GST collection, state earned MVR 5.7 billion in Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST) and MVR 2.8 billion in General Goods and Services Tax (GGST). Top Tax Revenues TGST: MVR 5.8 billion GGST: MVR 2.8 billion Corporate Income Tax: MVR 2.6 billion Import Duties: MVR 2.0 billion Withholding Tax: MVR 783.9 million Top Non-Tax Revenues Rent from Resorts: MVR 965.5 million SOE Dividends: MVR 658.4 million Airport Development Fee: MVR 644.1 million Registration and License Fees: MVR 514.7 million Interest…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has concluded the advertising campaign with BBC Global to promote Maldivian tourism worldwide. MMPRC said the campaign was designed to raise awareness and consideration for driving sustainable developmental, experiential tourism, and local-led initiatives in the Maldives. The campaign was also focused on driving up repeat visitation to the Maldives from the BBC audience through this content and raise awareness on the diversity of tourism products and segments. The campaign promoted Maldives as the ideal travel destination that caters to the needs and wants of travelers in line with emerging travel trends. The activities…

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…