Maldives First Labour Tribunal Established

Minivan News

The Maldives first ever labour tribunal was established on Monday with the mandate of enforcing the labour rights enshrined in the Employment Act.

The creation of a labour tribunal was stipulated in the Employment Act which came into force on 13 October.

But failure to establish the tribunal at the same time led to employers and employees accusing each other of breaching the Act, which includes a number of first-time rights such as a minimum wage and a limit to weekly working hours.

The tribunal comes after a series of strikes in November calling for the implementation of labour rights as per the Employment Act.

Most notably a strike involving over 250 employees from One and Only Reethi Rah, which turned sour when up to 50 riot police came to the island to remove 13 of the dismissed staff.

Hussain Shameem, one of the members of the tribunal, said he believed fewer people would now resort to going on strike as a method of voicing their concerns.

“Hopefully there will be a place for people to come and make themselves heard. What happened in Reethi Rah was because they didn’t have another avenue to go down.”

Another member, Ibrahim Riffath, said the tribunal’s objective was to “seek solutions for all employment related issues”.

Up till now, he explained, individuals had to file cases with the civil court which could take “months or years” for a result.

“But now the tribunal is set up its main function is to see ensure the procedure is expedited,” he said.

Even though Mauroof Zaki, vice-president of Tourism Employees Association Maldives, was pleased the tribunal had been established, he expressed scepticism as to its effectiveness because of a number of ambiguous clauses in the Employment Act.

“For sure it’s very very good the action the government has done in forming a labour tribunal because we had so many problems and hope the tribunal will help,” he said, “but I think the leanings of the labour law are for the employer and that’s a major concern we are facing.”

He added another resort, Coco Palm Island Resort, had already threatened its management with strike action on New Year’s Eve, although Zakir would consider going to the tribunal now that it had been created.

At the swearing in ceremony for members of the tribunal, President Mohamed Nasheed said both employees and employers have rights as well as responsibilities and urged members to perform their role with this in mind.

Nasheed appointed Mariyam Nazima as president while Mr Mohamed Ahmed was appointed as vice-president of the tribunal

Other members include: Ali Najeeeb, Ibrahim Riffath, Hussain Shameem, Fathimath Shifana and Shabab Rasheed.

MATI expresses concern over effects global recession

Miadhu

Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) at the association’s Annual General Assembly for 2008 has discussed the ongoing global economic recession, its likely effects on Maldives tourism industry and actions that may be taken to counter such effects. The meeting held at MATI Building on Monday was chaired by association’s chairman Mohamed Umar Manik (MU Manik). At the meeting the executive board of the association for year 2009 was appointed and the association’s budget for 2009 was also passed. A message from the President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed was read out at the meeting represented by delegates from over 50 industry stakeholders’ .In his message President Nasheed highlighted the income received from the industry to the government as well as to country. He also noted the profits earned by industry stakeholders and the public.

The Association’s current chairman Mohamed Umar Manik was elected as the Chairman of the executive board for 2009 while Gasim Ibrahim and Champa Hussain Afeef were elected as Vice Chairmen. Ahmed Nazeer was elected as Financial Controller, Sim Ibrahim Mohamed as the Secretary General and Hussain Hilmy as Deputy Secretary General. Abdulla Saeed , Ahed Shiyam Mohamed , Salah Shihab , Ibrahim Noordeen, Ahmed Mujthaba , Ahmed Hafeez, and Ibrahim Siyadh Gasim was elected as board members.
According to MATI discussions were also held on various difficulties faced with members.

Ambassador promotes Maldives Tourism in China

Miadhu

Maldives’ Ambassador to China Ahmed Latheef has participated in the 'Boao International Tourism Forum’ held in the city of Boao in the Hainan Province/ China from the 19 – 21 of December, Foreign Ministry has revealed.

In an interview given to Chinese media, Ambassador Latheef described the tourism sector of China and the Maldives, and provided travel information on the Maldives. He expressed that the widening global economic crisis had made the promotion of the Maldives tourism industry to the world an urgent priority.

Ambassador Latheef drew attention to the resorts and travel agents currently operating in the Maldives, highlighting the natural beauty of the country in a presentation shown at the Forum,. He expressed that in the first nine months of 2008; China presented the largest market for the Maldives tourism industry in the Asia region, and noted that this had increased by 17.1% from the previous year.

The Forum was organized by the International Tourism and Marketing Association (ITMA) and the China Tourism Administration, and provided a platform from high-level representatives from across the world to promote their countries and its tourist industry.

Indian investors can strike gold in Maldives

"Today we are having a different kind of democracy in Maldives - a democracy, in which politics has taken a back-seat and commerce has taken a lead. Investors will have a very smooth sailing here," said Mr Maizan Omar Manik, President, Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Mncci). "Now it is time for Indian investors to strike gold in Maldives in real sense. Maldives is looking for cooperation in many different areas of commerce and economy, including power, housing and hotel & tourism industry," he added.

He was speaking at the Meeting with Maldives Business Delegation, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here today. Speaking on tourism industry in Maldives, Mr Maizan said, "As such India, compared to Maldives, is far ahead in the hotel industry. However, Maldives has certainly developed expertise in island tourism." In his welcome address, Mr V K Mathur, Chairman & Managing Director, Inapex Limited, said,

"Maldives offers big opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs and investors. Presently the trade between India and Maldives stands at 19.3 million dollars and there is scope to multiply it many times." "India and Maldives have a long history of good relation and close friendship. In the new world order, when there is a tectonic shift in the centre of economic activities of the world from Europe and the US to Asian countries, we look forward to building a more vibrant business relation with Maldives," he said. Speaking about the tourism industry in Maldives, Mr Mathur said,

"Maldives is doing better job than India in tourism sector and has initiated many innovative schemes to attract tourist from all around the world." Mr Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, President, Sun Travel's and Tours Pvt Ltd, said, "There is now a big opportunity for Indian investors in hotel, travel and tourism industry in Maldives." "It should also be noted that no investor has ever lost money in Maldives. It is one of the safest places in the world for investment," he emphasized. Mr Ahmed Shahid, First Secretary (Economic and Commercial), High Commission of Maldives in India, said,

"Housing is now one of the priority sectors in Maldives. The government is trying to decentralize the housing sector. In this changed scenario, we are looking towards India for partnership in this areas, especially in mid-to-high and affordable housings."

Petition Calls For Total Ban On Shark Hunting Maldives

A marine conservation laboratory has sent a petition to ban shark hunting and the harvesting of sea turtle eggs to Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) demanding they lobby the government to take action. Marine biologists at the Banyan Tree resort conservation lab prepared the appeal and asked for a complete ban on shark hunting and the harvesting of sea turtle eggs as well as greater enforcement of protection for sea turtles...

The law at this moment gives protection to reef sharks but not to ocean sharks, as there is an assumption that these are the sharks the tourists come to see. “But the end result,” said Stevens, a senior marine biologist at Four Seasons resort, “is that we have someone at customs who can’t tell the difference between a shark caught in a reef and in the ocean. And it’s continued to the point where there’s nothing left. It takes decades and decades for the shark population to recover, but it doesn’t take long to wipe out.”

“We have gone from having guaranteed shark sites to not having any sharks at all.”, he said. With the result that shark hunting has affected lots of the local prime dive sites.

Stevens fears that a total ban on shark hunting might lead to fishermen passing off manta ray fins as shark fins. He would like to see protection for the rays as well as the sharks. “Resort managers and dive operators all want shark hunting to be stopped. We should all bombard the new government with positive constructive advice." said Stevens, “The government has an ethical responsibility to do something for future generations.”

Members calls on govt. to withdraw bill on extending Maldives resort lease

Members of the People’s Majlis at the Majlis sitting held on Wednesday called on the government to withdraw the bill proposed to amend the Maldives Tourism Act to facilitate leasing of resort islands to a maximum period of 50 years.

Member of the Majlis for Dhaalu atoll ADK Ahmed Nashid speaking on the proposed bill said that the bill once endorsed by the Majlis will facilitate the way for the government to raise some 1.2 billion rufiyaa to the state budget. However he pointed out the government must satisfy the Majlis on the reasons for extending the lease period of certain resorts by 15 years. He revealed that certain resorts have been leased out for more than 15 years, in violation of the law. He said it is acceptable to lease the resort islands, under a suitable system for periods of 99 years, but that the government should not be looking at raising funds to the state budget by extending lease periods of the resorts. He said this not “Wathan Edhey Goih” and called on the government to withdraw the bill.

Member of the Majlis for Noonu atoll as well as former President Gayoom brother Abdulla Yamin said that extending the resort lease periods either 50 years or 99 years ins not a problems but that such as extension at this point in time will bring any benefit to the economy.

Yamin who also heads the political party , People’s Alliance said even though the bill is aimed to lure more foreign investments to the tourism industry, extension of the resort lease periods to 50 years, at a time when global economy is on the down turn , will not work out as incentives to investors. Yamin also asked why the need for sudden urgency in getting bill endorsed especially in light of the fact the present Majlis will soon be completing its term.

Speaking on the proposed bill to amend the tourism law, member of the Majlis for Meemu atoll Ahmed Nazim expressed support for the bill but raised questions on time the government wants the bill be passed.

He further said expressed regrets over the government’s intention to amend the Tourism Law by proposing to extend the lease periods of the resorts without addressing many other issues related to the industry. He accused the government of trying to fulfill a secret pledge made with certain industry stakeholders.

Speaking during the debate which resulted in several heated exchanges between the opposition and the government, Raa atoll member Ali Waheed called on the government to withdraw the bill. He highlighted that many members cannot vote on the bill as they have a personal interest.

Addu member Mohamed Aslam expressed that bill contains many issues that need to be addressed and while the Tourism Law contains many inadequacies, extension of resort lease period should not singled out.

Many members on Wednesday’s sitting expressed that while the government proposed to extend the resort lease period to a maximum of 50 years, the bill lacked adequate procedure.

HDC cancels bid opening meeting for lease of land and marina development

Miadhu

Hulhumale Development Corporation (HDC) has revealed that the bid opening meeting for lease of land to develop a marina inclusive of Hotel at Hulhumale' has been cancelled.

According to HDC the meeting was cancelled due to non-submission of bids for the project by the announced deadline of 1300 hours on Monday. 2 parties purchased bidding documents for the project to participate in the bidding process but none of the parties submitted bid proposals by the stated deadline. The project was announced on 5th November 2008.

The two parties who purchased bidding documents are Minor International Limited (a company registered in Malaysia) and M.V.K Maldives Private Limited. HDC will decide on how to proceed further with the Marina project after consultation with its Board of Directors, and such outcome will be shared with the public accordingly.

Government promises to advance efforts in developing airport

The government has decided to consider the comments of the Anti Corruption Commission regarding its effort to find a developer for the Malé International Airport and advertise on a larger scale. Speaking at a press conference held at the President’s Office yesterday, the Minister for Civil Aviation and Communication Mohamed Jameel and the Minister of State for Finance Asad said that the previous efforts to find a suitable developer were not carried out with the intention of granting an unfair advantage to any party.

They argued that they had advertised so hastily because the airports’ current conditions demanded such urgency. He said that the government reserves did not have the funds for such a project and that it was doubtful that working with local parties would yield acceptable results in terms of sound management, finance and expertise. The Ministers revealed yesterday that the reason why the affair was conducted on such a small scale was because it was not intended to be carried out in the manner of a bid.

They said that they had meant to assess the proposals put forth by various parties and proceed with the best one. They claimed that they had made announcements on some local dailies and websites and received expressions of interest from five different parties. However, they were unable to respond to a query put forth by Miadhu, questioning how much international traffic those websites received. They concluded by saying that the project will be carried in line with the Anti Corruption Commission’s suggestions and stated that it was their belief that the commission could further improve the investigation of the matter.

Kurehdhoo asks staff to resign over petition

Miadhu

Kurehdhoo Resort Management has asked two of its staff to resign over a petition submitted to the resort management. Fathih, one of the two staff asked to resign, speaking to Miadhu Daily said that the petition signed by 130 staff employed at the resort was handed over on 17 December and that due to the petition he has been asked to resign.

Fathih said the Kurehdhoo resort management asked him to resign saying that he used company’s stationary and facilities to prepare the petition. Fathih said the petition called for better foods, at reduced prices to be made available in the restaurant, prices of goods in the staff shop to be reduced to levels in the neighboring islands and for protection of their Islamic rights and other rights guaranteed by the constitution.

According to Fathih they have asked for a response before 23 December and that he and Imthiyaz , the other staff asked resign , were informed verbally to hand over their resignation. He further said on Saturday, the management of the resort had called in Police and to mediate. Fathih said Police asked him and Imthiyaz to get off the island peacefully. However he said, the management must prove its allegations and that he was willing to get off the island once he gets three months wages. Kurehdhoo Resort management was unavailable to provide a comment. Maldives Police Services informed that Police were dispatched to the island to control a disturbance following a request by the resort management.

Maldives resort lease extension, a stimulus package to industry: Sawad

Miadhu

The government proposal to extend the lease of tourist resorts to maximum 50 years period is a stimulus package provided to the tourism industry in the wake of the present global economic crisis, said Tourism and Culture minister Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad.

Sawad was speaking to the People’s Majilis at its meeting held on Thursday, when the new bill proposed by the government to extend the lease period of tourist resorts was opened for debate.

The minister, said tourism industry which accounted to a major share of the governments foreign exchange earning and economy, needs more support and incentives due to the worsening economic situation, and more favorable investment opportunities has to be lured to encourage and boost the tourism sector .

The minister said the law will enable the government to make regulations which will govern the conditions and criteria on which lease of resorts can be extended up to 50 years.

He also said the proposal will help the government raise the much needed finance to bridge the budget deficit. The bill is expected to generate Rf 1.2 billion for the 13 billion budget proposed for 2009.

Alila Villas Hadahaa, Maldives

Surrounded by only the vast expanse of sky and sea, the resort’s 50 island and aqua villas, some with private pool, reflect the unique Maldivian sense of space. Here, no boundaries exist between you and the ocean. Panoramic views stretch to infinity.

The resort is about the ultimate Maldivian experience of turquoise and azure waters and fine white beaches, complemented by tranquil settings. Succumb to the healing sensation of holistic wellness at Alila Villas Hadahaa, where every experience is centred on bringing your mind, body and soul towards a new equilibrium.

The essence of the Maldives flows into the culinary and wellness experiences too. Savour authentic local cuisine and pamper yourself at the Island Spa retreat, an oasis of indulgence and rejuvenation.

Great care has been taken in the construction of Alila Villas Hadahaa to preserve the natural vegetation in order to maintain the ambience of the island and minimise the environmental footprint of the resort. Environmental awareness and protection are key considerations in all our guest experiences. Alila Villas Hadahaa is the first resort in the Maldives to adhere to the standards for Green Globe certification in the construction stage and resort operations.

Opening April 2009

PATA Travel Monitor Gives Some Cause for Optimism

Figures reported in PATA's Travel Monitor for the third quarter of 2008 reflect the growing impact of the global economic downturn on travel and tourism across the Asia Pacific region. But the Monitor, which analyses international arrivals figures obtained exclusively by PATA, also indicates cause for optimism in certain destinations.

For Q3 2008, international arrivals in 35 destinations covered by the PATA Travel Monitor show a decrease of just one percent compared to the same three month period in 2007 whilst figures for the first nine months of 2008 show an increase of three percent over the same period last year. "Earlier this year we were predicting year-on-year growth for the region at between seven and eight percent.

Our report shows that, despite the gloomy global economic outlook, some individual source markets were growing to a number of specific destinations," says PATA Strategic Intelligence Director John Koldowski. These include travellers from Iran to Malaysia (up 162 percent), Thailand to Macau SAR (up 132 percent) and Russia to the Maldives (up 55 percent). The PATA Travel Monitor also confirms earlier predictions by the Association's analysts that some long-haul travel would be sacrificed in favour of short and media haul trips.

International arrivals to Malaysia from Indonesia rose year-on-year by over 45 percent in Q3 2008 and there are also significant 'near-neighbour' increases such as China PRC to Macau SAR (up nearly 16 percent) and China to Hong Kong SAR (up over nine percent). Arrivals in Hawaii were boosted by a significant 34.7 percent of travellers from Canada in Q3 2008. Some destinations, such as Thailand, have faced additional domestic challenges which further impacted upon arrivals numbers.

This latest Travel Monitor does not cover the period when Bangkok's main international airport was closed. International arrivals to Suvarnabhumi airport in Q3 2008 fell by 16 percent year-on-year but figures for January-September 2008 show modest growth of almost four percent.

Integrating Tourism into Adaptation to Climate Change in the Maldives

The Maldives tourism sector faces major issues resulting from climate change, such as shoreline and beach erosion, reduced water availability, interrupted supply chain and coral bleaching, among others.

The aim of this project is to further develop and demonstrate adaptation initiatives that will reduce the vulnerability of the tourism sector, and its natural and human resource base, to the impacts of climate variability and change. It will enhance the sustainability of the natural resource base and the capacity of operators and tourism dependent communities to respond to these challenges.

Tourism operators in the Maldives are already taking actions on environmental management. This project will strengthen these measures and the policy environment enabling their implementation in an integrated way. The project is being developed in the framework of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and its Focal Area on Climate Change.

An initial proposal has been approved by GEF to facilitate the first phase of the project development. This phase serves to define a full project proposal through stakeholder consultations. The full project will have 3-4 years duration, and expected to be funded from the GEF Special Climate Change Fund. Read more

MATI does not work for the benefits of tourism sector: TEAM

Haama Daily

Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) said that Maldivian Association of Tourism Industries (MATI) does not act ethically towards the employee benefits and does but appreciate the workers co-operation.

TEAM says that MATI is acting against the workers right ethics and MATI have proved their priority towards the development of tourism sector, highlighting the less programs run by MATI to develop tourism in Maldives. According to TEAM, MATI does not appreciate works bargaining for their rights, but it is permissible in the constitution of Maldives.

They also said that the strikes in some resorts recently was acceptable in the Act of employment, and commented on the report submitted by labor relations. TEAM says that the report is prepared without “looking on both sides”.

TEAM also gave a remark to MDP some of MDP members who commented in the Peoples Majlis on the Reethi Rah Resort issue.

JUMEIRAH MALDIVES RESORT, MALDIVES

Jumeirah Maldives Resort, developed by EoN Resorts Group, will welcome its first guests in 2010 and is located in the South Malé Atoll. The iconic world-class luxury resort will be built around the principles of sustainable development, a commitment that will be reflected throughout the life cycle of the project, and will feature 48 beach villas and 43 water villas serenely scattered on a tropical island. Facilities will include four restaurants and bars, a health club and Jumeirah’s signature Talise Wellness spa, as well as a fully equipped dive centre.

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Maldivians will gain more after the current economic crisis stabilizes - Naseem

Miadhu

The current economic recession being experienced across the globe is being tackled by world leaders as a matter of urgency and once stabilized ‘Maldivian pockets’ will be filled with more riches, state ministry for foreign affairs Ahmed Naseem has said. Minister made the statement on Monday while briefing the press on recent to India to attend the Third Sustainability Summit Asia at Dharubaaruge. He said it is important tackle the current economic recession wisely with caution.

When asked by Miadhu Daily regarding the anticipated 20 percent decline in Maldives tourism, whether such a decline resulting in huge losses to the economy can be sustained, especially in the light of prevalent difficulties in obtaining foreign currencies from banks, state minister Naseem replied that he is confident such losses can be sustained.

He said Maldives tourism can be introduced new markets. In this regard he noted India and Middle East countries. He said he understood Maldives resorts has been very successful in ongoing winter holidays , although some difficulties may exist in filling up the resorts in summer holidays and that additional opportunities are still open to offset the anticipated decline for 2009.

He further said fisheries sector can be opened for more investments and that the government was already working on them. He said it would be unwise to base the economy entire on the revenue earned from tourism, and additional ways to generate revenue from fisheries has be sought.

Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives Opens Summer 2009

Scheduled to open in May 2009, Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives is located on South Ari Atoll (Alifu Atoll), in the republic of Maldives and will deliver a unique premium 4 star resort experience.

Featuring 112 suites & villas the hotel offers diving enthusiasts outstanding diving opportunities including an excellent house reef complete with a dedicated sunken ship wreck, and is within easy reach of the top dive spots in the Maldives. The 7 categories of beach front and over water accommodation ranges from 76 sq m Beach Suites complete with separate living room, large terrace and indoor and outdoor showers, up to 146 sq m Luxury Beachfront Pool Villas which include membership of the exclusive Island Club, which offers guests in selected categories of accommodation a “resort within a resort” experience including use of the exclusive Club Lounge, daily servings of complimentary meals, snack and drinks and complimentary evening cocktail and canapes.

The hotel features a variety of dining options, pools, recreation activities, Sports and Fitness facilities, bar and lounges with nightly entertainment, SPA Cenvaree, and a Kids Club.

The resort is relatively close to Male International Airport with an air transfer time of just 25 minutes or speed boat services (night transfer available) in 85 minutes.

Read more

Maldives ranked as the Best Beach and Rest & Relaxation destination

The Maldives has been ranked as the Best Country Brand for Beach and Best Country Brand for Rest and Relaxation for the year 2008. Maldives also ranked 2nd in the Best Country Brand for Natural Beauty and 3rd in the Best Country Brand for Resort and Lodging Options. The Country Brand Index was officially released during London’s World Travel Market in November 2008.

Country Brand Index is a comprehensive study of approximately 2,700 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries. It is conducted by FutureBrand, a global brand consultancy company and Weber Shandwick which is a public relations firm.

The main marketing slogan for the destination Maldives is “Maldives…the Sunny Side of Life”. The wellness and relaxation aspect is promoted under the theme of “Maldives…the Spiritual Side of Life”. Maldives was ranked number one in these two areas. Maldives emerged as the number one in both Beach and Rest and Relaxation categories after successfully competing with countries like Tahiti, Bahamas and Australia.

Maldives also won the 'World's Most Romantic Destination' award at the WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS last year.

Invitation for the expression of interest for joint management of Male’ International Airport, Maldives

The Government of the Republic of Maldives invites experienced international airport operators with demonstrated financial capacities to negotiate a viable and mutually beneficial joint venture to manage, develop and promote Male’ International Airport.

The intention is to select an appropriate partner who will take up equity in the company (Maldives Airports Company Ltd) and in the short term, inject the necessary financial and managerial input necessary for the airport to meet and sustain international standards in safety, security and will ensure that the government receives appropriate market value for the equity. For the medium term will ensure proper and timely development of the
airport to meet the demands of the national economy.

Upon receipt of expressions of interest a preliminary evaluation based on the background and capacity of the parties will short list candidates. A basis for discussion will be provided to the short listed parties and discussions commenced with all willing potential
partners.

Male’ International Airport in operation since 1981 has (based on 2007 figures) an annual
international passenger movement of 1.68million kg of cargo; total flight movements of
12,646 and served by 25 international scheduled and charter airlines.
Expressions of interest must be sent before 21st December 2008 to:

Ministry of Finance and Treasury
Ameenee Magu
Male’
Republic of Maldives
Tel:(+960) 3328790
Fax: (+960) 3324432
E-mail: admin@finance.gov.mv

Maldives promoted at China International Travel Mart 2008

The Maldives Tourism Promotion Board and representatives from Maldives tourism industry participated in the China International Travel Mart 2008 held from 20 to 23rd November 2008 at China New International Expo Centre in Shanghai.

A total of 13 tourism related companies from Maldives participated in the fair. The four day long fair attracted over 90,000 visitors. The visitors included 40,000 public and 50,000 travel trade and media. Maldives takes part in this fair every alternative year when it is held in Shanghai.

China has emerged as one of the most important and potential emerging markets for Maldives from Asia region. China attracted 35,797 visitors to Maldives till the end of October 2008. This is an increase of 15.5 percent compare to the same period last year. Last year Maldives received a total of 35,976 Chinese visitors.

25 Wonderful Places To Visit In Your Lifetime !

Maldives is a great place for tranquil tropical islands, palm trees, white beaches and brilliant turquoise lagoons. Maldives is a group of 1190 coral islands. This place is a great destination for scuba divers.

Visiting Maldives between December and April can makes you to spend some extra hours of sunshine. Also this is the main season for tourism. Read more

Three's company on a honeymoon in the Maldives

The Independent, UK

It's sold as a romantic destination. But babies are welcome too on these islands, says Marc Padgett.

It's not every night you go out for dinner and end up saving a life, but that's what happened on my honeymoon in the Maldives. Jan and I got married on Saturday, had our eight-month-old son, Toby, christened on Sunday, and, in need of some rest and relaxation, headed off to the Beach House resort on Manafaru island in the Maldives on the Monday.

So far, so good. But as we sat down for dinner on our first night, a staff member appeared carrying a sizeable butterfish that had got caught in a fisherman's net and was showing few signs of life. He put the fish in the pond in the centrepiece of the restaurant, but the poor thing just lay on the surface.

Emboldened by a few glasses of a fine red, I sprang into Jacques Cousteau mode and tried to breathe life back into my new best friend. On the verge of reluctantly attempting mouth to mouth, it tentatively found its water wings again. Two nights later, we returned to the restaurant for another meal and were told the fish had been safely returned to the sea. Suspiciously, curried butterfish was on the menu.

I have been lucky enough to stay in some fine places over the years, but the award-winning Beach House tops the lot. Our "water villa" had the biggest bed I've ever slept in, a glass-bottom living-room floor to watch the abundant marine life swim by, an indoor Jacuzzi to wallow in, and a bathroom that afforded the experience of showering above the sea. And then there was the direct access from a sun lounger on our terrace into the Indian Ocean, and the wondrous surroundings of palm-fringed white-sand beaches. Read more..

Maldives ranks second among world’s most beautiful countries: The Patagonia Times

A company called FutureBrand has recently issued its fourth annual Country Brand Index, which ranks nations using various tourism-related criteria. This year, Chile appears in the index for the first time, coming in 10th among all countries in the “natural beauty” category.

“I’m happy we’ve made the top 10 beauty ranking, but we really ought to be higher,” top government tourism official Oscar Santelices told the daily La Tercera.

First on the beauty list – which was compiled via interviews with nearly 3,000 travelers and tourism experts from 30 countries – is New Zealand. The Maldives Islands came in second, followed by Switzerland, Norway, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Scotland and Tahiti.

Photo by: sakispapadopoulos

See the Biggest Full Moon of the Year from “Ever Soneva So Celestial” Observatory at Soneva Fushi Maldives.

According to NASA the the full Moon of Dec. 12th is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year. So if you happen to at Soneva Fushi of Maldives, you must be the one of the luckiest persons of the night. Because Soneva Fushi, Maldives has the only Observatory in Maldives. “Ever Soneva So Celestial” Observatory is equipped with a striking Meade RCX400 telescope, the observatory
in the organic garden is the latest addition to Soneva Fushi’s unique guest experiences and offers magnificent views into the starry sky. Read more about Soneva Fushi, Maldives

See the Biggest Full Moon of the Year - You can see it from Maldives too

Here is a good news for all the tourists who are in Maldives, and yes its for any one who is interested. According to NASA the full Moon of Dec. 12th is the biggest and brightest full Moon of this year. So why not have a look. Below is the report from NASA.

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NASA

See the Biggest Full Moon of the Year

No, you can not see Neil Armstrong's footprint. But go ahead and look: The full Moon of Dec. 12th is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year.

It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday's is a whopper. Why? The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other: diagram. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.

A perigee Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood. Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks much like any other. Read more

Maldives Hotels: Read Maldives Hotel Reviews and Compare Prices

Finding information about hotels in Maldives will not be a difficult thing because Maldives as a tourist destination is well known all over the world. The major tour operators and travel agencies provide lot important information about the hotels in Maldives. The hotels in Maldives can vary from 3 stars to 5 stars and there are some hotels who boast beyond 5 stars. Just search in Google and you will get a huge list of information about hotels in Maldives. Below are some of the links which is worth visiting.

Maldives Hotels
VisitMaldives.com
tripadvisor.com