Herathere Delays Disrupt Hundreds Of Holidaymakers

By Ajay Makan
November 7, 2007

More than one hundred and fifty German tourists have been scattered across Maldives resorts after Thomas Cook decided the Herathere resort was unfit for holidaymakers.

Government ministers, foreign journalists and leading businessmen had gathered in Addu atoll today for the opening of the four hundred bed resort, which will be the Maldives’ second largest.

But late last night a Thomas Cook representative decided the resort, which is the flagship of the Government sponsored Maldives Tourism Development Company (MTDC) and the first in the deprived southern atoll, “was not ready for guests.”

The German tourists, already in transit to the Maldives, were redirected to Malé where they have spent most of the day camped in city hotels awaiting transfer to substitute resorts.

Mass Upgrades

172 passengers were on board a Condor flight from Frankfurt, which was meant to be the first foreign commercial aircraft to land at Gan, marking its upgrade to international airport status.

Passengers were told of the redirection to Malé during a transit stop in Dubai. They arrived early this morning, and have spent the day in hotels across the capital.

Minivan News found around fifty bemused tourists still waiting for resort transfers at Malé’s Nalahiya hotel at 3.40pm this afternoon.

A German couple in the Maldives for the first time to celebrate their twenty fifth wedding anniversary, said they hadn’t been given any information since their flight landed.

But most of the tourists remained in high spirits, helped by promises of upgrades to five star hotels after paying half price rates as Herathere's first guests.

Angry Adduans

MTDC board members and Government officials had arrived in Addu earlier in the week for a series of celebrations to mark the milestone in the atoll’s economic development.

Addu briefly declared independence from the rest of the country in the 1960s, and residents accuse President Gayoom’s Government of excluding their atoll from the Maldives’ lucrative tourism industry.

Addu has been promised a resort and international airport for decades, but it was the MTDC decision to build its first development in the atoll last year that kickstarted Government involvement.

Speaking from Addu, Tourism Minister Dr Shaugee told Minivan News he was “saddened,” by the delayed opening, but said, “Addu residents say they have waited twenty five years for a resort, now they can see one is so near.”

But Adduans who turned out in large numbers to welcome the Condor plane, which state television had told them would arrive on schedule, are said to be angry at the Government.

One told Minivan News, “99% of people here are saying the Government has done this on purpose. Of course that would be ridiculous, but it is what Adduans think of this Government.”

Two to three weeks

Those involved in Herathere are irked by the tour operator’s decision to cancel, arguing the resort is ready to receive arrivals. MTDC Chairman Hussain (Champa) Afeef said, “the Germans made the decision to come, and now they have made the decision not to come.”

But Thomas Cook say the decision had to be taken after travel journalists and a company representative told them tourists would be left with, “no facilities.”

The company said it was, “shocked,” by the real state of the resort.

“Right up to the last minute, we were told the resort would be 90% ready and that’s what we advised our customers,” Thomas Cook's Germany communications chief said. “We trusted the hoteliers until it was too late.”

“In our experience this is unique. To be told a resort is not ready after customers have already departed has not happened before,” Mathias Brandes added.

The resort is now expected to open in two to three weeks, although Brandes said, “we will send a representative from Germany and will not allow our customers there until we are satisfied it is 100% ready.”

Hundreds more tourists could be affected. Condor is scheduled to fly a 265 person capacity aircraft to Gan every Wednesday from now. Thomas Cook have at least eighty bookings for next Wednesday’s flight alone.

Share Price Buoyant

MTDC is the Government’s major initiative to redistribute tourism wealth to the Maldivian people. Individual holdings in the company are strictly limited, and single shares were made available at affordable prices in a bid to entice Maldivians into the business.

But while the share price has doubled within a year, the company has been beset by allegations of insider trading and excessive control by Chairman Hussain Afeef and Chief Executive Imad Solih.

Some critics used the bungled resort opening to attack the company again. One shareholder, Ibrahim Waheed, told Minivan News, “the board should take responsibility.”

But the Tourism Minister defended MTDC, pointing out, “Afeef and Ibrahim Noordeen [who has overseen construction of Herathere for MTDC] have been working night and day to get this resort ready for months.”

Despite the false start Thomas Cook has said it is still confident in the resort and will send customers as soon as it is functional.

And Ibrahim Noordeen told Minivan News, “the Herathere dream is not dead. We are more determined than ever to deliver this resort for the people of Addu.”