Sabrina Chang decided this year to treat herself to a fancy vacation, opting to stay in a thatched bungalow over a lagoon in the Maldives where a swim with exotic fish is as common as taking a stroll.
The Maldives is celebrating the 35th anniversary since its first two resorts opened and visitors like Chang are among a growing breed of tourists who splash out for a slice of paradise on the remote islands.
Chang, 38, a Hong Kong-based programmer, said she wanted to be pampered for a week and learn about marine life at a biology center on Kurumathi Island, 56km west of the Maldivian capital island Male.
"It's a luxury holiday combined with an educational experience," said Chang, who spent US$320 a night for her luxury room at Kurumathi Blue Lagoon.
Holidaymakers like Chang have made Maldives the richest nation in South Asia with a per capita income of US$2,674.
The 600,000 visitors who jet here each year rarely see the congested capital Male. Once they clear the airport island, they are whisked off by speedboat or seaplane to resorts.
"They need not leave the resort unless to dive, snorkle or view dolphins," Tourism Minister Mahamoud Shougee said.
Guests do not even need to change their hard currency into the local rufiyaa as US dollar purchases are permitted and the few Maldivians they meet will often be resort staff.
Home to 300,000 Sunni Muslims, the Islamic Republic of the Maldives has relaxed rules in the resorts where alcohol is served, unlike in the capital island where it is prohibited.
Presently, 89 islands have luxury resorts, with occupancy rates averaging 95 percent. The government last year opened 51 new islands for a combination of resort and airport development.
"The hotel developments, some of which will come alongside 10 new airports, is part of our plan to attract a million tourists by 2010 and increase our bed capacity from present 20,500 to 36,700 by 2012," Shougee said.
Investors are expected to inject US$120 million within the next 10 years, some into exclusive villas that charge in excess of US$30,000 a night, pampering to the rich and famous.
But most holidaymakers are package tourists from Italy, Germany and Britain -- with countries like China, India and the Gulf fast emerging as the next big growth market, Shougee said.
"Some of the new resort developments are being tweaked in terms of menus and products on offer to cater to Chinese, Indian and Gulf tourists, who are not low-budget but want a slightly different experience," he said.
However, Maldives Association of Tourism Industry head Mohamed Sim Ibrahim said the resort industry has "reached a crossroads."
"The government is under pressure to release more islands for resort development," he said.
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who has ruled since 1978, promises to "protect investors" and not "cheapen" the Maldives' reputation as a premium eco-destination.
Tourism accounts for a large chunk of the Maldives' economy of just under a US$1 billion with money coming from resort lease rentals, annual taxes on resort beds and airport departure taxes.
A 3 percent goods and service tax on resort sales will also kick in later this year to boost government revenue.
But trouble may be on the horizon for the low-lying islands which are vulnerable to climate change. Gayoom has warned a rise of about 1m of water would swamp much of his nation, leaving mere sandbars.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS