Latest news in Maldives? September 3rd, 2026
03-09-2026
- Nationwide Housing Projects: The Maldivian government announced that it is actively executing 113 housing projects nationwide to address long-standing accommodation shortages. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing, and Urban Development, 21 of these projects are situated in the Greater Malé region under President Mohamed Muizzu’s core development mandate. Xinhua+ 1
- Tourism Performance & Targets: Fresh figures for August showed the country welcomed 197,640 tourists (a 5.2% year-on-year increase), bringing total 2026 arrivals to over 1.45 million. However, analysts noted a deceleration in daily arrivals heading into September, meaning the sector will need to average around 6,510 visitors per day to meet the annual national target of 2.24 million. MTO Intelligence and ActionLab Services – IzuConsultancy+ 1
- Tourism Tax Policy Updates: The administration has confirmed details regarding the planned expansion of the 17% Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST) to qualifying overseas tour operators, set to take effect starting October 2026 to capture direct offshore transactions.
- Environmental & Marine Conservation: Resorts and environmental groups launched annual “Manta Month” conservation initiatives, focusing on marine cleanups, ghost-net removal, and funding research with the Manta Trust during peak manta ray aggregation season. Scubaverse