Senior government ministers held a high-level meeting on Sunday with representatives of Shangri-La to discuss the reopening of Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa in Addu. The resort, one of the largest in the southernmost atoll of the Maldives, has remained closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The meeting was convened as part of the administration’s efforts to deliver on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge to reopen the resort within his first year in office. The discussions focused on the practical steps needed to resume operations and explored how the government could support the process.
Among the government officials present were Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Finance and Planning Moosa Zameer, and Attorney General Ahmed Usham.
Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort, which spans over 50 hectares and has a bed capacity of 284, is seen as a major component of Addu’s tourism potential. Its prolonged closure has had knock-on effects on employment and local businesses in the region.
The government previously held a 30 percent share in Addu Investments Pvt Ltd, the entity managing the resort. That stake was divested during the presidency of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and there have been no subsequent announcements on public re-engagement in the resort’s operations.
With no official timeline announced yet for the reopening, the Sunday meeting signals renewed dialogue between the state and Shangri-La. Further updates on next steps are expected in the coming months.
