Maldives: 52 years of transformation into Asia's wealthiest nation per capita

IN 1971, Italian tour operator Giorgio Corbin arrived in Sri Lanka in search of the small dots he had seen on a world map.

- By Sudesh Mendis

With the help of Naseem, who was then working at the Maldives Embassy in Colombo, he travelled to the Maldives. The moment he arrived; he realised the islands were the perfect destination to develop tourism. He then connected with several Maldivians to explore this opportunity further.

In 1972, he sent his first group of tourists to Sri Lanka, where Ceylon Tours acted as his local agent. With their support, the group travelled to the Maldives on an Air Ceylon flight. As soon as they landed, captivated by the breath-taking surroundings, they immediately jumped into the crystal-blue sea.

Suren Ediriweera, Managing Director of Ceylon Tours, accompanied this group and became the first tourism guide in the Maldives, playing a pioneering role in introducing tourism to the country.

At the time, there were no hotels or guesthouses in the Maldives. Young entrepreneurs Umar Maniku and Champa Afeef prepared meals for the tourists and arranged accommodation in local homes. Soon after, they began building a small hotel on Kurumba Island, which officially opened on 3 October 1972. During construction, coral walls were used, and when the building was only half completed, Ceylon Tours arranged for more tourists because there was no other available accommodation. The only facilities on Kurumba at that time were partially built walls and mats there was no roof or modern comforts.

However, the next morning, the guests told the hosts that they had enjoyed a wonderful night. It was the first time they had seen the moon while on their honeymoon, surprising everyone. People soon realised that this was a new and unique concept of a resort, marking the birth of the first resort in the Maldives.

Today, Maldives Tourism Day is celebrated on the anniversary of Kurumba Island Resort's opening.

Growth of the tourism industry