The young man leaning against the wall of one of the most beautiful hotels along the beach of Kaafu atoll Maafushi island is only 25 years old. Mohamed Nazeer’s first choice since graduating school was to pursue tourism. While working at various resorts in Kaafu atoll, he received an unimaginable offer: to manage the Symphony-owned four-star Crystal Sands beach hotel. With the offer, all his anxieties and worries have been washed away. Earlier, his chief worry was his wife and children. Working long days at islands away from family is the shared woe of every resort employee. However, that period of sorrow is now over for not only Nazeer, but the residents of Maafushi as well. “I’m very glad to be able to live in the same land [island] as my wife and child. I can easily go home and come back to work. There are no other places I need to visit, so I end up spending most of my time at work anyway.” Tourists arrive at Maafushi island. The island has 42 guesthouses with bed capacity to match the largest resort in the Maldives. PHOTO/MOHAMED SHARUHAAN The tourism at Maafushi is akin to a job spouting machine. Beginning some five years prior, the island’s guesthouse tourism alone has created around 600 job opportunities. Several men and women of Maafushi are currently employed in more than 40 guesthouses in the island, while other related trades and businesses are blooming. In other words, Maafushi is a haven of employment. In fact, the businesses bring in people from other islands due to lack of sufficient hands. The island now offers easy livelihood, no matter the choice of work. Some residents declare that this is what tourism means – tourism that has a direct positive impact on their living, with the profit falling directly into their hands. The islands’ standard of living and physical construction have also significantly progressed, with the number of stores multiplying, availability of recent foods and modern facilities. While the average Maldivian has an income of USD 4000, Maafushi residents’ income amounts to around USD 12,000. This gap between Maafushi and other islands is very prominent. People await the arrival of tourists at Maafushi island. The island has 42 guesthouses with bed capacity to match the largest resort in the Maldives. PHOTO/MOHAMED SHARUHAAN Hassan Sinaan was another Maafushi-born employee of a resort. As fortune saw it, his house “Carnation Maage” was an oceanfront building and, when tourism boomed in the island, there were quite a few contenders for that land. “There was a foreign investor who wanted to construct a 75-room hotel on this land, offering us 40 percent of the profit. We received several such offers,” said Sinaan, speaking of the land where he had now built his family hotel “Suntan Beach”. “We considered several options and finally decided to do it ourselves. So, all four members of our family worked to build this 19-room hotel.” That hotel is always maintains an occupancy of at least 85 percent. Returning to his home island, Sinaan and the rest of his family has settled into that business. Their livelihoods had a complete makeover. According to Sinnan, their taxes from the hotel alone amounts to USD 10,000 per month – meaning that the business brings in a monthly profit of around MVR 2,000,000 (USD 130,380). “There is nothing lacking in our lives now,” said Sinaan, standing in front of his guesthouse. “It is a great fortune to manage your own business in your own island.” An aerial view of some guesthouses at Maafushi island. The island has 42 guesthouses with bed capacity to match the largest resort in the Maldives. PHOTO/MOHAMED SHARUHAAN Tourism has lured in nearly every resident of the island. Since each day sees nearly the same amount of tourists as the island residents, a major fraction of the local population are always at the visitors’ service. Restaurateurs and merchants – it is all income for them. “There used to be only one restaurant in the island. Now, there are five restaurants excluding the ones in the guesthouses,” said Abdullah Haaris, owner of Sunset Restaurant. “The business isn’t all that bad. The thing is, there are several restaurants. With all of them operating at the same time, it affects each one.” However, the businesses at standard food hotels and cafés are booming, due to the great numbers of tourism employees who are expatriates or from other islands. Their daily meals and coffee breaks are boosts to these cafés. With Maafushi becoming the main hub of local tourism, the stream of holiday goers from capital Malé and other islands keep other businesses and trades overflowing. “Some guesthouses need daily supplies of MVR 25,000. Then consider how local business will progress at that rate. I can say that there isn’t a single household whose income hasn’t doubled compared to before tourism. Some people’s income has skyrocketed five or six times now,” said a local businessman of Maafushi. This is an irrefutable truth surpassing rumours. The circulation of foreign currency in the island is no joke. According to one of the major stores in the island, their daily income amounts to a range of USD 800 – 1000. “Before tourism, we didn’t even get 100 – 200 dollars,” said a spokesperson of the shop. “It’s not only tourists who purchases with US dollars. Some local residents do so, as well.” Some locals arrive at Maafushi island. The island has 42 guesthouses with bed capacity to match the largest resort in the Maldives. PHOTO/MOHAMED SHARUHAAN Maafushi has made a 180 degree turnaround in just around six years. Despite the lack of multi-storey buildings, their livelihoods are now abundant. Opportunities for employment in their own island have opened for the youth. There is no greater fortune than employment that pays well in your own island, alongside your wife, kids and family.