The Maldives business climate maintains optimism I Srimal Fernando I .thediplomaticsociety.co.za

The Maldives business climate maintains optimism   

 
  By  Srimal Fernando
Asia Correspondent for Foreign Exchange

The Indian Ocean islands of Maldives is an amazing country to visit for its contrasts, high cultural interest and for its extraordinary scenic beauty. The double chain of twenty six natural ring-like atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India’s Lakshadweep islands is situated 500km from the Southern tip of both Sri Lanka and India and comprises 1190 coral islands.

The country, with a population of nearly 330,000, still remains one of the smallest independent nations in Asia. The people of the islands are widely dispersed across the atolls, in about 200 inhabited islands. The 1.77 square km. capital city Male is located at the southern edge of North Male Atoll, known as Kaafu Atoll. One third of the country’s population is located in this island.  

Today the city is a bustling, rapidly developing place full of traffic and crowds. For centuries it has been a place of cultural and historical importance. The city has preserved its beautiful surroundings, spectacular architecture and its cultural values. Male is dotted with dozens of mosques having sprawling complexes with towering minarets. There is no end to the breath-taking sites visitors can see in the capital city of Male. Of the most exotic popular places of interest is the iconic 350-year old mosque known as Hukuru Miskiiy, the National Museum of Maldives, the republic square or Jumhoorie Maidan, Mulee Aage built in 1906, the mausoleum tomb of Mohammad Thakurufaanu and the Friday Grand Mosque.

Apart from the tourist attractions in the city is the well-known educational institution, the Maldives National University inaugurated last year in Male. The opening of Male International Airport in 1981 on adjacent Hulhulae Island which includes a seaplane base and a domestic base for internal transportation was an important landmark in the Maldivian travel industry. Today the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport or the Male International Airport is a major stopover point for many international and domestic airlines.

The Maldives is not just admired for its beauty but also known for its development among the South Asian countries. The story of the country’s economic success began when the Maldivian government implemented economic reforms beginning in 1989. Past and present governments of Maldives took an active role in guiding the nation’s economic development process forward.

At present the country is showing the results of its trade reforms and other liberalization measures taken several decades ago. Today the predominantly former fisheries based Maldivian economy has shifted towards a tourism based economy after a robust growth in the past few decades. According to “Ease of doing business 2012” the annual flagship publication of the World Bank, the country is ranked 79th out of 183 economies.

              

The economy of the country is heavily dependent on tourism and on the fisheries sectors.  The Maldives Central Bank, the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), forecast an impressive growth figure of 5.5 percent for 2012. The tourism sector, known as the growth engine of the Maldives, has made significant headway into the world tourism markets. The country is emerging as a strong tourist destination with the number of visitors to the country climbing to 458,068 tourist arrivals from January to June 2012. According to the Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), tourist arrival figures shows that the country’s tourism sector grew better-than-expected with an average annual economic growth rate of 2.3 percent compared to the same period in 2011. Currently, European tourists are the number one market for the tourism industry in the country. The country’s tourism infrastructure is relatively advanced with almost 100 high standard island resorts. The sector provides job opportunities to the vast majority of the people in the country.

 

Historically fishing is the main traditional livelihood of the Maldivians. Of the fish caught sixty percent is skip jack tuna.  Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) is playing a major role in the country’s fisheries sector development.

Other main traditional industries are boat building and handicrafts. The industrial sector provides only about 7 percent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Production).  With the mechanization of the traditional sailing boat dhoani in 1974 the traditional wooden and fibre glass boat building industry had started developing .The Alifushi Raa Atoll is the most famous Atoll for building boats among the many Atolls in the Maldives.

The private sector plays a vital role in traditional areas of public investments such as transport, energy and telecommunication. Comparisons have shown that the country offers the most business friendly environments in South Asia. Foreign ownership is welcome in most areas of the country’s economy. An excellent business framework backed by the Ministry of Economic Development adds to the attractiveness of the Maldives investment climate.  The people of Maldives are confident about the future and have ambitious plans, expecting that the economy will be better than it was and anticipate continuous growth in the next few years.

 Source : ( http://www.thediplomaticsociety.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=514:the-maldives-business-climate-maintains-optimism-&catid=16:home&Itemid=25 )

The Life in Male Island and the Villingly Island -The Maldives Pictured By Srimal Fernando

The Life  in Male Island and the Villingly Island -The Maldives 

Male the capital, Busy Market ,Fish Market & a Island ferry to the VillinglyIslands

Pictured By Srimal Fernando

Srimal Fernando Journalist  at Male No 1 Jetty— The Maldives,.



Male Republic Square Pictured by Srimal Fernando



Srimal Fernando Journalist In front of the Main Market In Male



Fruit Seller in the Male Market Pictured By Srimal Fernando




Fishing Vessel in the Male habour Pictured By Srimal Fernando




Kurumba Seller at the Male Jetty Pictured By Srimal Fernando



Many Fishing &Atoll trasport vessels docked in Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando



Beautiful Male seen fare away from Villingly Islands Pictured By Srimal Fernando




The building behind Holiday inn Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando




Atoll&Island Fishing & Transport vessels loading their goods at Male jetty Pictured By Srimal Fernando



Srimal Fernando Journalist getting Ready to jump  in to a passenger Ferry


The Parliament or Peoples Majilis Pictured By Srimal Fernando




The lively hood of Maldives is Fisheries .The Main Fish Market in Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando



Island Fruit sellers in front of Male trading area Pictured By Srimal Fernando




Srimal Fernando Journalist  waiting to jump  into a Island transport vessel



Male No1- no 8 Jetty Pictured By Srimal Fernando



Through the umbrellas in a baech Cafe in Villinglly Islands can see Male the capital of Maldives Pictured By Srimal Fernando




People swimming Ships at a distance Pictured By Srimal Fernando




The heritage in Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando



The heritage in Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando







Inside a packed Island transport ferry from Male to Villinglly Islands



The heritage in Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando



The heritage in Male Pictured By Srimal Fernando



plant sellers in Villingly The Maldives Pictured By Srimal Fernando



The Maldivian Monitory Authority or the Central Bank of the Maldives Pictured By Srimal Fernando



The Go Green Policy of Maldives .The Villinglly Islands with pavements and trees by the side of the road Pictured By Srimal Fernando




Iceboxes packed with fish invesselsPictured By Srimal Fernando



On board a Island ferry to Villinglly Pictured By Srimal Fernando




A Atoll or Island Transport vessel Pictured By Srimal Fernando



Big skip jack and tunas at the Male fish market Pictured By Srimal Fernando




Fruit seller inside the Male whole sale MarketPictured By Srimal Fernando

 Important notice  The Life  in Male Island and the Villingly Island -The Maldives  Pictured By Srimal Fernando ..Do  not publish or use  these images without the permission of the author 

Power, pride and progress: a visitor recommends a Vietnam vacation Text and photos by Srimal Fernando* I Vietnam Heritage Magazine

Power, pride and progress: a visitor recommends a Vietnam vacation Vietnam is known as the “Land of Dragons.” It is one destination for which any amount of praise seems inadequate. The country’s natural and historical attractions appeal to many visitors from all parts of the globe.

(No.11, Vol.2, Nov 2012 Vietnam Heritage Magazine) Text and photos by Srimal Fernando* Vietnamese women in wooden boats at Halong Bay Perfume River A boat lady and tourists on a canal in the Mekong Vietnam is known as the “Land of Dragons.” It is one destination for which any amount of praise seems inadequate. The country’s natural and historical attractions appeal to many visitors from all parts of the globe. Today, the largely agrarian country is shifting towards a more multi-sector economy. The country has a wealth of dialects spoken in different regions. There is almost no end to the breath-taking sites visitors can see in this fascinating country.  The great theme of modern Vietnamese history is the Vietnam’s war of independence and reunification. The Vietnam War proved to be an extremely sobering experience that caused so much suffering for the Vietnamese people. The people of the country have a well-deserved reputation for being hard workers, but they enjoy their leisure as much as anyone else. Ho Chi Minh’s name comes to mind when we remember the recent history of Vietnam. He is the best-loved and famous political figure in the country. Ho Chi Minh the founder of the Vietnamese Communist Party and, as leader of the revolution, carried the torch of Vietnam’s independence movement for over half a century. As a revolutionary he made great contributions to the victorious Viet Minh and Viet Cong forces that unified the country. Mausoleum Ho Chi Minh, a monumental marble edifice at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, was built to show the deep gratitude of the countrymen to their great leader. His remains are displayed inside the chamber of the mausoleum. Hanoi, the capital city known as “city of lakes,” is a thriving metropolis with cloud-tickling skyscrapers, numerous specialty shops, boutiques and colourful markets that unhesitatingly leap into the future. A visit to the country would remain incomplete if one doesn’t drive a 3½-hour journey on road from Hanoi to Halong Bay port. The five- hour cruise in a double-deck wooden boat in the bluish green waters can be an enjoyable boat excursion. The UNESCO world Heritage site Halong (or "Descending Dragon) Bay is situated amidst a splendid panorama. The bay covers an area of 1500-square-kilometres dotted with a cluster of 1,960 limestone islands.  Hue is in the central part of the country. It is studded with many archaeological sites. Among these are the feudal capital city with fortresses, temples, mausoleums, pagodas and bridges that attract thousands daily. The Perfume River is famed for offering a river cruise in a traditional wooden boat.     Travelling from the North to the South of Vietnam can be a fantastic experience for a tourist. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the largest city in Vietnam and is situated nearly 1,700 kilometres south of Hanoi. After the end of war, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honour of the great Leader. It is a city of rapid development, where modern buildings are raised right beside 19th-century buildings. An array of giant cranes shows the development fever in the city. Among its highest-esteemed attractions are the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Municipal Theatre, the re-unification palace, the Mekong river cruise, the Củ Chi tunnels and the Vietnam War Memorial Museum. The Vietnam War memorial museum is one of the most recognizable places to visit in the city. It is a living testimony to the history of the Vietnam’s war of independence and re-unification. It is a place preserving the memories and relics of the Vietnam War. The country has tended to preserve its traditional music, theatre and dance offering visitors the opportunity to experience an ancient forms much as they were hundreds of years ago. Vietnamese art possesses several distinctive characteristics that give it its own unique style. There are grottos, temples and pagodas that are still there for the young generation understand their roots and origin. If one is to understand and experience the surprises of the cultures of the world, Vietnam surely is a voyage not to be missed. Srimal Fernando, a journalist and an Asia Correspondent based in Colombo, visited Vietnam on an invitation from the Vietnam Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka in August, 2012) Cruise boats anchored in the Halong Bay Panoramic view of HCMC from Saigon A religious site in Hue

Across the Maldivian Islands Pictured by Srimal Fernando

Across the Maldivian Islands  Pictured by  Srimal Fernando