Maafushi island is one of the most popular local islands in Maldives. Only 25 kilometres away from Male and Velana International Airport in South Male Atoll. There are also about two thousand seven hundred people living on this island which is among the three nearby islands in the South Male’ Atoll.
Prior to 2010, approximately two thousand people used to live on Maafushi island and they earned their income mainly by working for governments and fishing. Some gift shops that were available on the Island were meant for visitors who were mostly taken to Maafushi during “island-hopping” excursions organised by neighbouring resorts.
Long before, visitors could only stay at separate island resorts. Hotels and guesthouses were not allowed on these nearby islands. It is just that the country’s tourism did not directly affect those staying at Maafushi island or any other neighboring island of theirs like it should have been in order to accelerate development. In addition to fishing which is rare nowadays, majority of youth as well as others depended upon menial government jobs that were also few. However, the local people remain remarkably convivial, friendly and industrious.
This was shown when tourists first started coming to Maafushi island after local residents opened up some guest rooms following government change of regulations in 2010 permitting tourism establishments on the nearby islands. Within a decade however, it has been transformed into a Maldivian guesthouse tourism “hub”, thanks to investments made by locals into guest rooms, restaurants, diving centers and others visitor facilities.
Nowadays residents can benefit from better lives through direct earnings from tourism activities hence making it possible for them to enjoy better health care facilities; cleaner environment; better educational opportunities amongst young people.
Maafushi island has currently become a populated local Island with more number of guesthouses as well as guest beds than any other place in the whole nation having over fifty active guesthouses and over six hundred guest rooms. The Island must have a range of activities and it has a good pool of both international and local staff for serving travelers.
For example, Maafushi island offers diving, water sports, holidays, fishing as well as cultural shows. On the other hand, various specialty restaurants are available to choose from.
