Seaplanes and a bigger airport: The Maldives has big plans to attract more tourists

11.08.2024 - 01:17 / euronews.com / Ruth Wright

The Maldives is a tropical paradise with endless white beaches, crystal clear waters and stunning resorts.

Millions of travellers flock here every year seeking rest and recuperation, with 2023 seeing record arrivals, up 12 per cent on the year before. The trend has continued in 2024, with tourist arrivals up by 10 per cent compared to the same period last year.

This is good news for the country’s 550,000 citizens, the majority of whom rely on tourism for their income.

But behind the scenes of luxury resorts, they face another struggle: being on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

There’s no escaping the fact that rising sea levels are a very real existential threat to the Maldives. The country’s president raised the issue with the UN as far back as 1985 when he warned of the possible “death of a nation”.

So how is the island nation balancing the need for tourism income with the race to save their homelands?

More than 150 delegates from all over the world gathered in the Maldives in July for the country’s first international aviation conference, the Air Service World Congress. 

Held by Velana Airport and private island resort Kurumba Maldives, the event brought together a mix of international and regional airlines, tourism boards, airport authorities and aviation consultants.

Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, CEO and Managing Director of Maldives Airports Company, which operates Velana International Airport, is excited about the prospects the event will bring to the country.

“It paves the way for more events that can boost both the tourism and airline industries. We cannot work alone. We need the partnership of airlines and tourism operators to benefit, altogether,” he says.

Velana announced it is nearing the completion of the first phase of its expansion project. It involves enhancing the commercial terminal, cargo services and the VIP/CIP terminal.

“The current terminal is built to service about 2,700 to 3,000 maximum. But we are servicing 12,000 passengers from a facility which is built to cater for 3,000. So when the new terminal comes out, the service levels will just jump,” Mohamed says.

This staggered opening of the upgraded facilities is expected to commence towards the end of the year, with a full reopening set for mid-2025. 

Harrowing memories of the 2004 tsunami are a reminder of island’s climate vulnerability

Home to over 1,000 coral islands and more than 170 resorts, the Maldives is extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels and natural disasters. 

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was a grim reminder of that. All but nine islands were affected, killing 82 and leaving a trail of destruction. 

Velana Airport did not escape the waves, destroying the base of the airport runway. Mohamed himself is a survivor of the