Maldices as Tourist Spot

8/6/2019 Maldices as Tourist Spot

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DESCRIPTION OF GAN ISLAND

Gan is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll, as well as the southernmost island ofthe Maldives.Total area of GAN Island is 3.5 sq. meter (approx. 600 acres). Gan

Island was formerly inhabited, but its inhabitants were moved to neighboring islandsafter the British naval and airbase was built. It had been having continuous humanhabitation since very ancient times.Gan Island has now a hotel catering for touristsand is connected by causeways to the neighboring islands of Feydhoo, Maradhoo andHithadhoo.

Following Infrastructure and other facilities are available at the Island

y GAN International Airport (Construction in process)

y Asian Aeronautics Academy (AAA), Gan, Republic of Maldivesy Oil Farm by State Trading Corporation

y Hotel Equator

y Jetty Dugas

Approx 200 acres of Island is free for development. Investor is free to bid forrequired acres of Island for development of 7 Star Resort against fixed annuity asmutually agreed upon.


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Tourism is also the country's biggest foreign currency earner and the single largestcontributor to the GDP. The number of resorts has increased from 2 to 92 between1972 and 2007. As of 2007, over 8,380,000 tourists had visited Maldives.


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MALDIVES AS TOURIST SPOT

The Maldives consists of 1190 islands grouped into 26 natural atolls scattered overan area of 90,000 sq. km straddling the equator between latitudes 76 north and042 south and longitudes 7232 and 7346 east. About 88 islands in Maldives areLuxury Resorts. The Maldives are the smallest Asian country in both population and

land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, itis the lowest country on the planet.

BEST TIME TO VISIT:December to April.

The Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of the cultures reflecting the peoples whosettled on the islands, reinforced by religion and language. The earliest settlers wereprobably from southern India and Sri Lanka. They are linguistically and ethnicallyrelated to the people in the Indian subcontinent. They are ethnically known asDhivehis.

TOURISM IN MALDIVES

According to the Ministry of Tourism website, the emergence of tourism in 1972transformed the economy of the Maldives, moving rapidly from the dependence onthe fisheries sector to the tourism sector. In just three and a half decades, theindustry has become the main source of income and livelihood of the people of theMaldives. Tourism is also the country's biggest foreign currency earner and thesingle largest contributor to the GDP. Today, there are 89 resorts in the Maldiveswith a bed capacity of over 17,000, providing facilities for tourists whose annualarrival figure exceeds 600,000.

The number of resorts has increased from 2 to 92 between 1972 and 2007. As of2007, over 8,380,000 tourists had visited Maldives.

Practically all visitors arrive at Mal International Airport, located on Hulhul Island,which is next to the capital Mal. The airport is served by a wide array of flights toIndia, Sri Lanka, Doha, Dubai and major airports in South-East Asia, as well as anincreasing number of charters from Europe. Many flights stop in Colombo (SriLanka) on the way.

Gan Airport, on the southern atoll of Addu, also serves an international flight to Milanseveral times a week.

MALDIVES ECONOMY

Maldives has successfully marketed its natural assets for tourism--beautiful,unpolluted beaches on small coral islands, diving in blue waters abundant withtropical fish, and glorious sunsets. Tourism and related services contributed 27% of


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GDP in 2009approx$600 million a year. But its indirect contribution is much higher.As a result, the tourism rebound could help Maldives boost growth in 2010.

The Maldives economy has been growing at an annual average of 10% for the pasttwo decades. Tourism is the main industry, contributing close to 20% of the GDP. Up-to-date technology and international satellite links allow Maldives to have asophisticated communications system. IDD facilities are available on all resorts and

card phones are available on all inhabited islands. Dhiraagu andWataniya; the telecommunications companies in the Maldives also provides mobilephones for daily rental and internet service.

MALDIVES FIRSTy Maldives made a scuba diving record in 2006 for the largest number ofscuba divers participating in one dive, with a grand total of 958 divers descendinginto the water at the same time. This record has since been overtaken byIndonesia in 2009.

y Maldives was the first country to open a virtual embassy, in the onlineworld Second Life, on 22 May 2007.

y Maldives was the first country to hold a cabinet meeting underwater. Thecabinet meeting was chaired by President Mohamed Nasheed. In the meeting,the President, Vice President, and the cabinet signed a declaration calling forconcerted global action on climate change, ahead of the UN climate conferencein Copenhagen. The underwater meeting was part of a wider campaign byinternational environmental NGO 350.org.

MALDIVES GOVERNMENT MOVES:

There is growing concern about coral reef and marine life damage because of coralmining (used for building and jewelry making), sand dredging, and solid wastepollution. Mining of sand and coral have removed the natural coral reef thatprotected several important islands, making them highly susceptible to the erosiveeffects of the sea. The practices have been banned in recent years. In April 1987,high tides swept over the Maldives, inundating much of Male' and nearby islands.

That event prompted high-level Maldivian interest in global climatic changes, as itshighest point is about 8 feet (about 2.4 meters) above sea level.

Maldives government plans green tourist tax of $3 per day. The environment levycould be around $3 a day per tourist.

Gambling is regarded as illegal in Maldives.


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HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

Health care facilities are improving almost on a daily basis. The Indhira GandhiMemorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male is the biggest hospital in the country providing

sophisticated medical care. ADK HospHealth care facilities are improving almost ona daily basis. The Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male is the biggesthospital in the country providing sophisticated medical care. ADK Hospital is thebiggest private health care facility and follows high medical standards. Some resortshave in-house doctors. A decompression chamber is within easy reach of mostresorts in case of a diving emergency.

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TOURIST AWARDS WON BYMALDIVES

y Maldives won the top islands awards at 2009 Cond Nast traveler awards.y The destination Maldives together with the Maldives resorts and companies have

been nominated in the 16th World Travel Awards regional ceremony held atLondon on 7th November 2009.

y The Maldives has been ranked as the Best Country Brand for Beach and BestCountry Brand for Rest and Relaxation for the year 2008. Maldives also ranked2nd in the Best Country Brand for Natural Beauty and 3rd in the Best CountryBrand for Resort and Lodging Options. The Country Brand Index was officially

released during Londons World Travel Market in November 2008.

y Maldives was nominated in five categories in the 14th Annual World Travel Awards. The five categories that Maldives got nominated are Worlds LeadingDestination, Worlds Leading Dive Destination, Worlds Leading HoneymoonDestination, Worlds Leading Romantic Destination and Worlds Leading TravelTelevision Commercial. In addition Maldives Tourism Promotion Board has beennominated in the Worlds Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau category.

MAJOR ATTRACTION IN MALDIVES

A.SITE SEEING

Island Hopping

An island-hopping excursion would take you to another resort, an uninhabitedisland and an inhabited island all in a day-tour designed to give the tourist a tasteof the country. The Tourist would also get the opportunity to snorkel in the clearwaters of a desert island and experience a barbecue on the beach. Some resorts

take this a step further by conducting the excursion by sea plane.

Male Excursion

Male Excursions are organized regularly by resorts in Male Atoll, however someresorts in other atolls also offertourist the opportunity to visit the capital duringtheir stay. Male is the political and commercial hub of the country.

Night Fishing


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Night fishing is a special Maldivian form of evening entertainment in which youcould enjoy the peace and stillness of the night under starry skies while thetourist fish for snapper or grouper, and end the evening with a barbecueprepared with your very own catch.

Photo Flights

Resorts also offer you the opportunity to savor the beauty of the Maldives from

the air. While some resorts offer organized photo flights by seaplane, the touristhave an option of arranging their own aerial expedition as well.

Spas

The Maldives spas are in a world of their own. It is the perfect blend of luxurioustherapies, health and beauty experiences and sensory stimulation complementedby the tranquil surrounding and blissful tropical beauty.

Spas offer a large number of therapies and facilities ranging from aromatherapy,massage to Jacuzzis and saunas. Many of the treatments combine traditional

Asian therapies with classic European spa techniques.While some resorts ownand operate their own spas many of the resort spas are operated by spa chains.

B.ENTERTAINMENT

Resort Entertainment

Entertainment in the evenings differs widely from resort to resort. Some resortsprovide a more club-like atmosphere. They may have a weekly program ofanimation with professional entertainers. Almost all resorts offer disco and live

music either with their in-house DJs and bands or visiting bands from Male.Some resorts include traditional dance and music in their entertainmentprograms.

Dive Facilities

Maldives is home to some of the most diverse marine fauna and flora in theworld. Tens of thousands of reefs, a thousand recorded species of fish, over twohundred species of coral and hundreds more species of other marine life; nowonder many see this as one of the greatest dive destinations on earth.

The dive center is one of the most important facilities in any resort. Each resorthas a dive center and are staffed by qualified dive instructors. Divers may, if theywish, bring along their own dive gear, however the centers carry a wide range ofrental equipment. At resorts diving is conducted daily all year round. Even inMal there are some dive centers, mainly serving the residents of Mal. Thereare two decompression chambers in the Maldives located in Kaafu Atoll and Ari

Atoll.

Sports in Resorts


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Resorts offer a variety of sports for the enjoyment of their guests; beachvolleyball is the most obvious, however many resorts have tennis courts ofexceptional quality and fully equipped gymnasiums complete with instructors.Badminton and squash courts are quite common in the resorts as well. Billiards,pool and a variety of board games are offered on most resorts.

Water sports

All resorts without exception have water sports centers that provide a range ofwater sports and fun activities. The most popular among these are snorkeling,windsurfing and catamaran sailing. The water sports centers are equipped withboards and sails of different sizes and some offer courses for beginners andadvanced windsurfers and sailors.Among other popular water sports activitiesare parasailing, kayaking, kite-surfing, water-skiing and jet skiing.

Surfing in Maldives

Today surfing is the fastest growing water sport in the country, with several surfbreaks that are documented and well-known by surf enthusiasts. The mostimportant surf event is the annual Neill Deep Blue Contest which has placedMaldives firmly on the worlds surf map.

Maldives Surfing Season and SurfBreaks

The best season to surf in the Maldives is the Southwest Monsoon from April toOctober. Surfers are most likely to enjoy the biggest swells from June toSeptember. The surf generally ranges in size from 3-8 feet.The best known surfbreaks are in the North and South Male Atoll and most surfers stay in resortsclose to these breaks. However cruise operators offer specialized surfing cruises,

that give you the opportunity to test some of the less known surf breaks in theatolls further away from Male Atoll.

C.HISTORICAL ATTRACTION

Havitha, Gnaviyani Atoll Fuvahmulah

This historical place located in Fuvahmulah is known to be a buddiststupa calleda 'Havitha' this place has a height of 25 meters.

British Loyalty, Seenu Atoll, Hithadhoo

A shipwreck site near Hithadhoo. This steel ship of 5583 tons was wrecked onthe South-western Reef of this island on 9th March 1944 torpedoed by theJapanese in World War II. This is one of the best wreck diving points in Maldives.

British War Memorial, Seenu Atoll, Gan

The British troops were stationed during the World War II on the island of Gan.This island was used as a base of the Royal Air force of Britan until March 1976.

A war memorial was built in the Ganisland and even today this is a famous


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historic location for many especially for the former members of the British troopswho were based here.

EdigalhiKilhikotey Area, Seenu Atoll, Hithadhoo

The wetland area of Edigalhikilhi and kotey Area is environmental protectedunder the Maldivian Law. This is a breeding ground for different species of birdsliving in this area, also different kinds of Migratory birds can be seen depending

on the season.

White tern (DhonDheeni), Seenu Atoll - Gygis Alba

Lknow as 'Dhondheeni', sometimes called as Kandhuvaludhooni is a smallseabird traditionally only confined to the Addu atoll. The white tern is one of theMost beautiful and interesting resident birds found in the Maldives. It has a fullbody of white feathers with a distinctive black ring around the eye and a black billwith blue at the base. This white tern is protected in the Maldives

Fuvahmulah, Gnaviyani Atoll

The island is about 4.5 km by 1.2 km with a submerged reef extending for aboutthree km in a SE direction. In the distant past fuamulaku was a small coral atollwhoes southern end was open at a spot called Diyarehifaando and the inside ofthe island was a saltwater lagoon forming a natural harbor, In time the innerlagoon lost its saltiness and all that remains today are small lakes, wetlands andmarshy taro fields. Therefore Fuamulaku is a small Atoll that closed and filled inwith silt. The Northern lake of the island is known as 'Dhadimagi-Kilhi' and thesouthern is known as 'Bandaara-Kihi'. Lacking a lagoon and being subject toviolent ocean swells, FuvahMulahisland was often inaccessible to seafarers.

Recently a harbor has been built at the SE top of the island, but its not easy touse in the often-harsh weather conditions

D.PILIGRAMGE ATTRACTION

Grand Friday Mosque :

Masjid-al-Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A "z" zam or the Grand Fridaymosque is the largest mosque in Maldives. This majestic structure of the pastwas built by the Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar in 1656.

MuleeAagePalace :

Situated just opposite the Friday mosque, MuleeAage Palace was constructed in1906. Sultan Mohamed Shamsuddeen III was the patron of the construction ofMuleeAage Palace. The Sultan constructed this palace for his son prior to WorldWar I.

HukuruMiskiiy:


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HukuruMiskiiy is the oldest mosque in Maldives. It was built in the year 1656.This old Friday mosque is the creation of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar I.HukuruMiskiiy is famous for its delicate lacquer work and fine wooden sculptures

National Museum:

National Museum in Maldives is one of the principal tourist draws in the nation.Situated in the Sultan Park, which was a portion of the palace of Sultan, it is

essentially a transformation of the erstwhile palace building.

Esjehi Art Gallery:

Esjehi Art Gallery is one of the principal tourist attractions in Maldives. It issituated on the east of Sultan Park, inside a very old building.

National Art Gallery :

The National Art Gallery was built by the Government of Maldives to promotevisual art with regular exhibitions of the art of Maldives and other countries. Thegallery was opened in 2005.

JumhooreeMaidan :

Situated beside the northern sea front in Male, JumhooreeMaidan wasconstructed in 1989. More popularly called as the republic square of Maldives,the Maidan with its vibrant landscape is one of the most visited sites.JumhooreeMaidan is an ideal location for social get togethers.

http://www.maldivesguide.net

http://www.maldivestourism.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives

http://www.flightshotelstours.com/maldives/tourist-attractions/

Maldices as Tourist Spot

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