Lhaviyani - Naifaru

Palm Beach Resort and Spa has strong commitment to growth of local business ventures

Palm Beach Resort and Spa will hire expert handicraft craftspeople to showcase their skills to the resort guests. The resort has further committed to promoting and selling locally made souvenirs – this will include innovative products and crafts of the more traditional variety.

Expert craftspeople will be hired from the Laviyani Atoll Handicrafts Training Centre in Kurehdhoo. The training centre has been set up with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the main aim of promoting partnerships between small businesses and the more established ventures such as those within the tourism industry.

Independent organisations such as the Women’s Entrepreneurial Council (WEC), in collaboration with several island and atoll based groups, have already begun programs in order to maximize the potential of the dwindling local cottage industries.

According to the ‘Handicrafts in Maldives’ report compiled by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade in 2007, the sale of souvenir items in the Maldives is expected to bring in more than US 50 million within the next five years.

Ongoing efforts to promote local handicrafts are underway with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Maldives, the Women’s Entrepreneurial Council (WEC), The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, several local nongovernmental organisations and a few local businesses.