The Ministry of Tourism has removed Boahura in Meemu Atoll from the list of islands opened for tourism in January.
The tourism ministry said Boahura was removed from the list after considering the environmental impacts of the development of a resort on the island. The decision to arrange boarding and disembarkation to Boahura from Muli harbour in Meemu Atoll is contrary to the One Island-One Resort concept of resorts in the Maldives. Therefore, the ministry announced the allocation of Boahura without allowing the island to be reclaimed and that the surf point near Bohura not be disturbed or included before removing the island from the list.
Additionally, the ministry changed the date of the information meeting on the islands opened for tourism to February 7. The date of the information meeting was postponed as February 6 is a public holiday. The ministry opened new islands for bidding on January 23 and included 13 islands from eight atolls.
The largest lease acquisition cost of the newly opened islands is for the resort development project in Kaashidhoo in Kaafu Atoll and Nilandhoo in Faafu Atoll. The minimum lease acquisition cost for each of these projects is USD2.2 million. The tourism ministry said the current estimate is that all these islands will have at least 1,700 beds for tourism. However, the ministry notes that this number is likely to increase. The government is also providing necessary assistance to investors to accelerate the construction of the unfinished resorts.