Kurumba Maldives celebrates 45 years since the foundation of the resort

This year, one of the most beautiful and impressive resorts in the Maldives celebrates its anniversary. The first-born of Maldivian tourism, the Kurumba Maldives Hotel is 45 years old. Its history began in 1972 with the development of a small island in the Indian Ocean by a group of Italian fishing enthusiasts. 45 years ago, the Maldives was an unknown country whose islands were not mapped on the world map. In less than half a century, Kurumba Maldives has proven the right to exist of all Maldivian tourism.

At the end of the 70s of the last century, UN experts gave very pessimistic forecasts regarding the development of tourism in the Maldives. Tropical exoticism and an abundance of unprecedented representatives of the marine fauna were accompanied by the lack of drinking water, communications, airports and food. For 45 years, the Maldives has caught up with the modern world.

Kurumba Maldives has become a pioneer in the development of modern technology. Today it is one of the most modern Maldivian five-star hotels, located just 10 minutes by speedboat from the international airport in Male, the capital of the Maldives.

In honor of the anniversary, a grand show for guests was held at Kurumba Maldives. Free cocktails, expensive wine tastings, street food festival, music shows. All Kurumba Maldives restaurants serve national dishes from the Maldives, Russia, South Asia and North Africa. The island has a photo exhibition of historical photographs. The main milestones of tourism development in the Maldives archipelago are captured year after year by hundreds of enthusiastic photographers from around the world.

In 1972, only about 1,000 tourists from Italy visited the Maldives. In 2016, the number of tourists from around the world reached one and a half million people. And this is the invaluable merit of the pioneer of tourism development in the Maldives archipelago - the Kurumba Maldives hotel.

Story

Tourism has become an industry that has brought prosperity and progress to the Maldives. It all started with the discovery of Kurumba in 1972. At that time, this remote archipelago, inhabited only by fishermen, was unknown to the world and foreign investors. There was only a small runway on the island of Halhule (today it is an international airport), built by volunteers, and no regular flights. Universal Enterprises Chairman Mohamed Umar Maniku recalls: “In the Maldives, we had nothing, nothing. No banks, no airport, no telephones, only radio and communication using Morse code with Colombo. Even experts said that tourism here will never be successful, because there are no objects and infrastructure. "

Losing the chance for prosperity and development was so easy, but it all came about thanks to the right people in the right place at the right time, their passion and determination. It all started with a meeting in Colombo of George Corbin, an Italian travel agent, and Ahmed Nasim, then a junior officer at the Maldives Embassy, who later became Minister of Foreign Affairs. At that time, Corbin was looking for pristine islands where he could bring Italians to swim and fish. He fell in love with the beautiful Maldives archipelago at first sight. After his first visit to Male in 1971, he promised to return with a large number of guests.

In February 1972, Corbin brought the first tourists to the Maldives. They stayed in three modest houses in Male. A place perfect for swimming, fishing and sunbathing, fascinated them. Who would have thought that among these first vacationers and fell in love with the Maldives there are people who later became the founders of the Kurumba resort - Mohamed Maniku, Ahmed Nasim and Hussein Afif.

Inspired by common enthusiasm, Maniku and Afif chose the island, guided by their proximity to the runway and the capital. It was possible to get to it only by sailing dhoni or motor boat. Thanks to the help of Corbin in financing Manik's own resources, his new Maldivian friends were able to build 30 rooms in three blocks, using coral stone for the walls and coconut wood with palm straw for roofs. Each room had a salt water shower and toilet, necessary furniture and access directly to the beach. You could eat in the dining room or on the beach.

They named the resort, which opened its doors on October 3, 1972, "Kurumba Village" (which means "young coconut" in translation). Immediately after the opening, all rooms were booked for the rest of the year - it was a huge success!

"We knew nothing about tourism- tells Manik. - It was the tourists who helped us build this industry here. We listened to them and gave them what they wanted. Luckily for us, they wanted simplicity in a natural environment, and that was what we had to offer. "

Kurumba Maldives today

From a humble complex with 60 guests per month, Kurumba has grown into a resort with up to 14,000 people. A handful of founding friends turned into a staff of 450 people. Some of them have been working here for over 20 years. "At first, - tells Manik - we did not know what to cook for these tourists from across the ocean. I had a recipe book in English that I translated into dhivehi so the guys could understand. I was a cook, gardener and room service. We had to do everything ourselves. "

The resort expanded and was able to accommodate more guests after the airport was modernized, which began to accept long-haul flights. Fresh water, air conditioning and restaurants with international cuisine have made this place even more comfortable and desirable.

In 2003, Kurumba underwent a complete transformation again to meet the requirements and standards of the 21st century. As a result of the transformation, a world-class resort appeared with 180 rooms, including the royal residence, presidential apartments, pool villas, family villas, as well as improved beach and garden rooms.

The process of natural development, perseverance and absolute dedication to this cause made Kurumba Maldives a grand hotel in the Maldives, which has become a model of hospitality, beauty and high quality service in the region and in the tropics in general.