Amilla Maldives Resort & Residences, a naturally lush private island paradise nestled in the midst of Baa Atoll, is the first IncluCare-certified resort in the world. UK- based accessible travel experts, IncluCare and Amilla, are working closely together towards better accessibility and to reduce barriers when traveling to the Maldives to ensure commitment to retaining a level of excellence and to improving accessibility each year with support, training, and auditing.

The representatives from Ministry of Education, Department of Inclusive Education who arrived to Amilla Maldives for the discussion on 27 April 2023 were Ms. Fathimath Nishan (Deputy Minister), Mr. Fathuhulla Mohamed (Director General), Ms. Aishath Zaeema, Ms. Fathmath Azna, Mr. Adhila Rushdee, Ms. Anula Saleem, Ms. Haleemath Hussain and Mr. Ahmed Muneeb Hussain. The representatives were greeted by the leaders at Amilla and the information session took place in one of the beautiful, spacious residences of Amilla. Following the informative session, lunch was served for the guests from the Ministry of Education at the Emperor’s Beach Club (EBC).

IncluCare is gaining recognition worldwide, and Amilla Maldives is the first resort in the world to be certified by Inclutel for accommodating guests with different restrictions. Amilla strives to reduce the barriers at the front of the house as well as the heart of the house in the medium term. With over 3,000 young Maldivian adults with different abilities finding difficulty to work in resorts, Amilla and the Ministry of Education discussed ways to overcome this and to find pathways through education and into the Maldives hospitality industry and to find solutions to
change this perception in the Maldives.

The Ministry of Education has stated that 8% of their students were registered with some form of disability. Vocation training has been highlighted as a hope for pathways into the Maldives workforce for these students and to provide fulfilling roles where they can feel like an important part of the team they are with, by providing valuable contributions to the industry. At the front of the house at Amilla, they are learning, growing and adapting to more guests with different needs who are requesting to visit the Maldives. Most recently, Amilla’s perseverance, passion for inclusion, knowledge and understanding were tested when a guest with cerebral palsy reserved a villa at the resort.

The team at Amilla worked harmoniously and tirelessly with each other to overcome new barriers. The guest was very informative, understanding and comfortable with sharing her capabilities with the team and despite six other resorts being unable to accommodate her holiday visit, Amilla took on the challenge with an open mind. Amilla’s team was able to cater to the guests’ needs to ensure that her holiday experience was like no other. Utilizing the evacuation chair and sling for the seaplane journey and beach and swimming wheelchair for guests with mobility issues, the team at Amilla were able to exceed her expectations by not only being able to swim in the ocean, but going on her first snorkeling trip and sunset dolphin cruise, something she had dreamt of.

While Amilla Maldives encourages other resorts to look at this market for inclusive travel, the Ministry of Education and the resort have a mutual understanding to see what the resort has in place for IncluCare for the Ministry to learn from, and to help find job opportunities for differently abled candidates. The visit was concluded by The Ministry of Education representatives presenting a small token of appreciation to Amilla Maldives, in the form of a beautiful wooden carving of a traditional Maldivian Dhoni.

For guests with additional travel needs, please find out more on Amilla’s Inclusive Travel and Factsheet.