Tourism Minister Tariq Ibrahim has stated that the practical work on reopening Shangri-La Villingili Resort has begun last month. The government has announced that the Shangri-La Resort in Addu will be reopened by the end of this year. While the government has announced that Shangri-La Villingili Resort will reopen on December 31, the Tourism Minister said that the work required for this has now begun. Speaking at the Heyanbo program in connection with the Maldives Tourism Day, Minister of Tourism and Environment Tariq Ibrahim said that one of the first priorities after taking office was the reopening of Shangri-La.
He said that he met with Shangri-La’s senior management and visited the resort in February this year to assess its condition. Minister Tariq said that although the resort was closed, it had been very well maintained. However, the Minister noted that there were repairs to be done before the resort could reopen. “When I checked, it was very well maintained. The rooms were also in good condition. However, some aspects of the resort needed improvement. For example, the resort’s restaurant needs to be improved. The decking needs to be improved. The decks of the water villas. There were individual things like this that needed improvement,” said Tourism Minister Tariq Ibrahim.
The Tourism Minister said that after his visit to the resort, he also met with the resort owners. He said that he met with the resort owners along with Attorney General Ahmed Usham and Finance Minister Moosa Zameer, and highlighted the importance of reopening the resort for Addu’s economy. The Minister said that after discussions with the Ministry of Tourism, Shangri-La company agreed to open the resort on December 31.
“When we discussed it then, from about the middle of last month, they started doing what could be done there, and have begun the licensing work to bring the resort into operation. There will be many things like this, and we have also gone with a team from the ministry to look at what needs to be done,” the Minister said. Shangri-La was closed 5 years ago in March 2020. The resort was closed then due to COVID-19. Although resorts closed due to COVID reopened afterwards, Shangri-La remaining closed was a concern for the people of Addu. Reopening this resort and bringing its benefits to the people of Addu is a promise of the President.
Shangri-La Resort, developed to provide luxury service in the southernmost part of the Maldives, is a 284-bed resort. This resort includes 60 water villas, 26 beach villas, 28 pool villas, 16 tree house villas, and 2 presidential villas. This was the largest resort operating in Addu, and it was a resort that catered to high-end tourists.
