The Maldives has long been recognized as a luxurious travel destination, known for its stunning overwater villas and exclusive resorts. However, with the country’s recent decision to increase airport taxes and other travel-related fees, a vacation to the Maldives is set to become even more costly for visitors.

The New Airport Departure Tax

Starting from December 1, 2024, the Maldives will significantly raise its airport taxes. These taxes will apply to tickets issued after this date, regardless of the travel date, and will be included in the ticket price, meaning no in-person payment will be required.

The changes to the departure tax at Velana International Airport (MLE) are substantial, with fees varying depending on class of service:

• Economy class passengers will pay $50 (up from $30).
• Business class passengers will pay $120 (up from $60).
• First class passengers will pay $240 (up from $90).
• Private jet passengers will face a $480 tax (up from $120).

This hike represents a staggering 67% to 300% increase, making the Maldives one of the more expensive destinations for airport taxes, comparable to the high Air Passenger Duty in the UK.

Notably, this is the second increase in recent years. After the pandemic, the Maldives raised airport taxes significantly, and now they are taking it to the next level. What's striking about these changes is that the taxes are not based on the length of the journey. Whether you're flying to nearby Colombo or all the way to New York, the business class tax will be the same.

Additional Fee Increases for 2025

The airport tax hike is not the only expense travelers will face. Starting January 2025, several other taxes and fees will increase:

The daily green tax (levied on each tourist) will rise from $6 to $12 for resorts with over 50 rooms, and from $3 to $6 for smaller resorts with fewer than 50 rooms.

Resorts with an average daily rate above $800 will be required to exchange $500 per tourist into local currency, rather than leaving it to the tourists to handle.

In July 2025, the Maldives will increase the tourism goods and services tax (GST) from 16% to 17%.

While each of these adjustments may seem minor on their own, together they represent an overall increase in the cost of a vacation. The requirement for resorts to exchange currency impacts businesses more than tourists, but it still adds to the financial burden.

As these changes unfold, it's clear that a vacation to the Maldives will soon be even pricier. With higher airport taxes ranging from $50 to $240 (depending on your class of service), combined with increased green taxes, sales taxes, and resort currency conversion requirements, the cost of visiting the Maldives is set to rise sharply.

While increasing fees and taxes in tourist destinations is never a welcome change, it’s understandable to some extent, especially for a country like the Maldives, which needs to balance the demands of its tourism industry with the well-being of its citizens. However, the number of fee increases in such a short period seems excessive. With the Maldives seeing a growing number of resorts opening every year, one might expect the country to prioritize removing barriers for travelers to maximize revenue from the increasing number of visitors, rather than focusing on extracting more from each individual guest.

It will be interesting to see how this move affects tourism to the Maldives and whether the country will reconsider or adjust these policies, especially as resorts are likely to have concerns about these changes impacting their guest numbers. Only time will tell how this plays out.