Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The Hulhumale’ Island Project inaugurates officially on Thursday. Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Managing Director Fazul Rasheed, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony, said the large-scale initiative with the funding from Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) will transform the suburban town. The initiative is poised to facilitate for Male’ Area residents and businesses to reach “another level”. The project encompasses connecting the Urban Isle and Hulhumale’ via a bridge. The Hulhumale’ Island Project will also serve as a path to expand urbanization efforts. SDF will provide a grant of MVR 2.3 billion for the large-scale initiative, which is on top of…

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) on Thursday, extended a USD 150 million grant to the Maldives government. With Thursday’s grant extension, the fund has extended a total of USD 470 million till date. SFD extended the fund for the purpose of fund injection for the ongoing Velana International Airport (VIA)’s expansion project and strengthening the healthcare infrastructure, facilities and services in the Maldives. The signing for this grant was held at the Ministry of Finance, which was attended by the Minister of Finance Dr. Mohamed Shafeeq, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed and other senior government…

Tourist arrivals on year-to-date basis showed an 11.6% increment as of May 14, 2024, according to the Ministry of Tourism statistics. The ministry has reported a total arrival of 833,728 tourists as of the review date, whereas arrivals observed for the corresponding period last year had reached 747,218. China maintains top rank with over 92,000 arrivals, while Russia is still the second strongest market with a little over 84,000 arrivals. UK is ranked third, almost close to 80,000 arrivals. Top 10 Markets China: 92,773 Russia: 84,162 UK: 79,721 Italy: 73,272 Germany: 65,563 India: 47,315 France: 31,283 USA: 29,259 Switzerland: 20,912…

The Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) Fathimath Thaufeeq has shed light on the country’s tourism industry and focus on diversification, and commitment to environmental and economic sustainability. She highlighted the key focuses of the tourism industry in an interview with BBC. Highlighting the success of the Maldives tourism industry so far in 2024, Fathimath said, “In the past four months, we have crossed over 25% of our [targeted] tourist arrivals for the year, which is over 500k.” “[The Maldives] is a lot more than the sun, sea, and sand. We have natural wetlands, we have…

Dhiraagu has introduced a brand new add-on allowing Prepaid customers to make unlimited calls to their friends and family in their ‘Vaahaka Circle’. This “revolutionary new offer”, allows Dhiraagu Prepaid customers to make free calls with their family and friends who have activated the add-on as well. Additional to the unlimited calls, each customer will also get 1GB data, valid for a 30-day period – all for just MVR 50. Customers can also invite friends and family to join the calling group via WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber. “We are thrilled to introduce our latest offer, designed to keep our customers…

The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) hosted the inaugural edition of the MATI Insight on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The event was held at the Meerumaa event hall, which was attended by high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Tourism and Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) along with MATI members. MATI Insight is a series of knowledge-sharing events aimed at providing expertise, best practices, and insights related to various segments and aspects of the Maldives tourism industry. The thematic scope of the series encompass; Revenue Sales and Marketing Branding Environmental Conservation and Protection Human Capital Development Technology Innovation,…

Housing Development Corporation (HDC) on Tuesday announced the lessees who have rented plots from Thilafushi Phase 1 and 2 for industrial purposes, can now apply for the ownership of these plots. HDC said interested lessees can now apply for proprietorship of the plots taken on rent, via writing. Earlier, HDC had announced on May 02, 2024 bid opportunities for 108 unsold plots from Zone A – Area B of Thilafushi, for industrial purposes. The plots were categorized into three types. Type 01: 2,500 to 4,999 square feet – 64 plots Type 02: 5,000 to 9,999 square feet – 42 plots…

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) hosted a familiarization trip with Amilla Maldives for high-end Indian influencer, Niki Mehra from May 03 to 06, 2024. The familiarization trip was a a great opportunity for Mehra, a renowned Indian model, fashion, beauty, and travel content creator and social media influencer with over half a million followers. Her trip promoted the luxury and Sunny Side of Life of the Maldives through social media platforms of Mehra, while highlighting experiential itinerary offerings fo the Maldives. Mehra’s trip will also serve as fresh impetus for the Maldivian tourism board and industry to boost…

The government collected MVR 8.89 billion revenue in the first quarter of 2024, reports Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA); a 21.3% increase compared to the same quarter in 2023. Quarter Highlights Tourist arrival increment for the taxable period of Q1-2024 (from December 2023 to February 2024) by 13.1% compared to same quarter last year Taxable bed-nights subject to green tax reported via the green tax returns submitted for Q1-2024 increased by 7.5% compared to the same quarter in 2023 Departures from December 2023 to February 2024 increased by 7.4% when compared to corresponding quarter of 2023 Revenue Composition For the…

The United Nations Development (UNDP) and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade are co-hosting the Asia-Pacific Blue Economy Forum in the Maldives, from May 13 to 14, 2024. The forum is convened by UNDP’s Climate Finance Network (CFN), generously supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This forum is part of CFN’s regional convenings to share knowledge and innovative practices to explore financing options for investments in the blue economy in Asia and the Pacific. The Asia-Pacific Blue Economy forum brings together government bodies, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, and practitioners from 15 countries to discuss…