Islands to be awarded for resort development next week

The Tourism Ministry has said the evaluation process for the islands being leased for tourism purposes has been concluded.

Director at the Tourism Ministry, Ali Shinan told AVAS that while the evaluation process is now complete, the ministry is verifying some additional details at this time. The process is expected to reach completion soon, and the bid committee will likely convene this week. The bids are expected to be awarded next week, he added.

The government opened 16 islands for bidding, and 9 parties have bid on 7 islands. 18 sets of bid documents were purchased for the 16 islands, and 13 bids were received for 7 islands.

The 2021 budget has allocated 10 islands for tourism development purposes. A revenue of MVR 130 million is expected through the sale of the islands. The government lowered the lease acquisition cost of the islands after opening the islands for bidding by applying a 30 percent discount to boost investor interest and confidence. The Tourism Ministry said it would review the islands for which no bids were received.