A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
Tourist arrivals to the Maldives exceeded one million during October, reaching 1,125,995 visitors so far in 2017. Some 127,986 tourists visited last month, up nine percent from October 2016, according to statistics released this week. The government hopes to welcome a record 1.5 million tourists in 2017, despite missing the same target during the past two years. With the […]
A Maldivian seaplane operator issued a non-apology Thursday for a crash involving one of its aircraft, as a report surfaced of the pilots abandoning passengers and swimming away and children’s life jackets being given to adults. Holidaymakers Thomas Markey and Sebastian Marczyk had sat through two aborted take-offs before being lobbed into the ocean on […]
Finance Minister Ahmed Munawar submitted for parliamentary approval Wednesday a record MVR27.9 billion (US$1.8 billion) budget for 2018. Opposition lawmakers continued to protest with chants of “government of thieves” while Munawar presented the budget projections. “The goal of the 2018 budget is developing human resources for building the nation along with spending on infrastructure development […]
President Abdulla Yameen has told the people of Kulhudhuffushi they can either stay in the past or move with the times. He has not visited the island for two years but was there on Sunday for the ruling party’s annual rally. PPM supporters, heads of state-owned firms and senior government officials have been flocking to […]
Kulhudhuffushi airport will be completed by the middle of next year, authorities have said, despite the government not yet hiring a contractor to build it. Tourism Minister Moosa Zameer and other ruling party figures were on the remote island Sunday to inaugurate the project, which involves the destruction of mangroves. Building the airport was a […]
The road to the southern sandspit of Kelaa curves through thick vegetation, snaking past the coral stone armoury belonging to the British in the Second World War. The overgrowth hides the remains of the Japanese radar station from the 80s, with the end of the hike opening up to a pristine natural pool. Mohamed Khaji* […]
Families whose homes will be demolished to make way for an airport in Kulhudhuffushi have yet to be told about relocation plans. A list of 18 houses was circulated on social media, but the government has not contacted the residents or told them about a formal plan for relocation and compensation. Speaking to the Maldives […]
Plans to destroy a 12-acre mangrove system in Kulhudhuffushi to make way for an airport have raised alarm among activists and islanders who fear environmental and economic damage due to the loss of the unique ecosystem. The Maldives Independent travelled to Kulhudhuffushi to meet a community of ropemakers whose way of life is under threat. […]
Tourist arrivals have increased 5.7 percent in 2017 compared to the first nine months of 2016, reaching nearly a million visitors at the end of September. According to statistics released this week, 105,984 tourists visited during September, up four percent from the same period last year. The continuing decline of Chinese holidaymakers was offset by […]