Payment problems for Maldives tours: what’s happening at the airport

What’s happening to tourists at Malé airport

Some groups of Russian travelers who have already paid for their stay are told at the airport that their room hasn’t been paid for. As a result they are denied boarding the boat to the resort until the tour operator sends a guarantee letter. There have been cases where guests were asked to pay for the accommodation again, and one group had to wait for a transfer for almost nine hours. At first the delay was blamed on the weather, then on a missing payment.

Why these delays occur

The main culprit is Bank of Maldives (BML), the bank most local companies work with. In the past few months the bank has tightened its checks on transfers linked to Russian beneficiaries and often returns the money to the sender. One large tour operator sent payment documents to Resort Life without the mandatory UETR identifier, so the funds never reached the account.

The amount of money that hasn’t arrived, belonging to tourists who have already left, is estimated at $1.8 million. According to the CEO of Resort Life, Mohamed Shaaz Valid, most of the funds have now been received and the company expects to have everything back on track within a week.

How tour operators are responding

• Art‑Tour – CEO Dmitry Arutyunov confirms that BML does not credit payments from Russia, but his company has no problems because they use other channels.
• Resort Holiday says its clients check in without issues, even when their bookings are handled by Resort Life.
• Irina Taku, marketing director of Resort Holiday, notes that payment checks have become longer and transfers routed through third‑party countries can be delayed or bounced back. She stresses that a long wait for a transfer does not always mean the tour isn’t paid for – in one case guests waited four hours because of a flight delay.

Recommendations for travelers from tour operators

1. Check the payment status with the tour operator before you fly, especially for trips planned in December or April.
2. Ask for supporting documents (for example, a guarantee letter) in advance so you can show them at the airport.
3. Monitor bank transfers and be ready with a backup payment method in case the primary transfer is returned.
4. Be prepared for possible transfer delays and have a plan of action if questions about payment arise at the airport.

Bottom line

The payment hiccup for Maldives tours stems from stricter checks at Bank of Maldives. Most operators are aware of the issue and are already working on fixes. Travelers should verify their payment status ahead of time and keep any proof of payment handy to avoid unpleasant surprises at the airport.

Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.