Ten Islands Designated for Resorts Promising Payouts to Maldivians

The government has designated 10 islands for a state-led resort programme intended to distribute tourism profits to Maldivian citizens, President Mohamed Muizzu said on 7 September.

At a press conference at the President's Office, Muizzu reaffirmed plans to develop 10 resorts and said the initiative would be implemented within 36 months.

A significant share of the resorts' profits would be divided equally among all Maldivian citizens and paid annually in foreign currency, according to the announcement.

The President's Office did not identify the 10 islands, a construction contractor or a funding total in its account of the briefing.

Payments projected from 2030

The proposal was also set out in Muizzu's 2026 presidential address to Parliament.

In that address, he said a state-owned enterprise would develop at least 10 resorts over three years. He proposed making every citizen an equal shareholder through legislation, with profit distributions deposited into individual bank accounts.

Muizzu projected that initial payments would begin in 2030 and estimated an average minimum annual payment of US$400 per citizen. Those figures were presented as projections for the planned investment programme.

The September briefing restated the 36-month implementation period and confirmed that islands had been designated. It did not announce that any of the proposed resorts had opened or that distributions had begun.

The resort programme was discussed alongside other changes to state-owned businesses. Muizzu said Agro National Corporation, known as AgroNat, would become a subsidiary of Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company.

He said MIFCO would operate a new local market through which farmers and fishermen could sell their produce. The government described the arrangement as part of its food-security and agricultural programme.

The President also said amendments concerning financial cases would be submitted during Parliament's third session. The proposals would address relatively minor financial cases and civil cases involving large businesses.

In the presidential address, the government had separately designated 2027 as Visit Maldives Year, with tourism promotion planned to involve businesses and other participants in the industry at home and overseas.