The Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Ameen, has expressed confidence that the Shangri-La and Hankede projects will see significant progress from this month.
Responding to a question from Ahmed Azaan, Parliamentarian for the Hithadhoo Mid constituency, during a sitting of the Parliament, Minister Ameen said the Hankede project is a key tourism development initiative for the southern region.
He said the government is preparing to launch the project under a new approach and that a detailed implementation plan, including the timeline for the commencement of physical works, will be announced within the next two to three weeks.
"We are currently undertaking major efforts in a different manner to launch the Hankede project. God willing, a very detailed project will be announced before long," Minister Ameen said. He added that work on the site is expected to begin in the near future.
Furthermore, minister announced a decision has been made to significantly expand the operational capacity of Shangri-La in July following positive discussions between the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the resort's operators.
"Shangri-La is currently operational. However, its capacity will increase significantly in July," he said.
Minister Ameen noted that although the resort resumed operations on 30 December 2025, it has so far been operating on a limited scale.
"Shangri-La is currently being operated on a very small scale. However, the operational capacity of Shangri-La will increase substantially by mid-July," he added.
Reopening Shangri-La was one of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's presidential pledges, and the resort welcomed guests again on 30 December 2025.
The government is also continuing efforts to expand tourism in the southern region, including Addu City. As part of those efforts, it is working to identify new opportunities to promote tourism in Addu and implement additional development projects in the city.