Bandaarge, Addu, Maldivas

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Addu City (local administrative code Seenu) is a city in Maldives that consists of the inhabited islands of the southernmost atoll of the archipelago. Addu City is the second-largest urban area in Maldives, in terms of population, and is one of the two urban areas to get the status of «city» other than the capital city, Malé and Fuvamulah. Addu City has 6 districts. They are Hithadhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo. These divisions are naturally islands, but are well connected. Addu Atoll itself has islands in addition to the above, that are uninhabited. For information on these islands, see Addu Atoll.

Districts

• Hithadhoo Population: 15,146
• Maradhoo Population: 5,203
• Feydhoo Population: 6,502
• Hulhumeedhoo Population: 6,492
• Addu City: Population: 32,062

Tourism

This is the ‘second city’ of the Maldives, and the resorts here is the best base from which to visit traditional Maldivian island communities. The Addu people are fiercely independent, speak differently from folk in the capital and at one time even tried to secede from the republic.

The biggest influence on Addu’s modern history has been the British bases, first established on the island of Gan during WWII, as part of the Indian Ocean defences. In 1956, the British developed a Royal Air Force airfield as a strategic Cold War outpost. The station had around 600 permanent personnel, with up to 3000 during periods of peak activity. They built a causeway connecting Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo islands, and employed most of the local men. In 1976 the British pulled out, but many of their employees, who spoke good English and had experience working for westerners, were well qualified for jobs in the soon-to-be-booming tourist industry.

Tourist development in Addu itself has been slow to start, but a resort has been established in the old RAF buildings on Gan and there are now reliable connections to the capital via Maldivian, Mega Maldives and Flyme. The Ocean Reef Resort is not a typical Maldives tropical paradise resort island, but the old military base is a unique feature. Gan is linked by causeways to the adjacent islands, and it’s easy and pleasant to get around them by bicycle, giving unmatched opportunities to visit the local villages and see village life. There are two island resorts in Addu City. Shangril’a Vilingili Maldives Resort and Canareef Addu.

Hankede Island has been proposed as a location for a new resort. However, for years this plan has been halted by the government even after interests from several foreign developers.

Tourism development at Addu City, after the presidential elections in 2008 there is a free opportunity to invest in the tourism industry.

The fourth president of Maldives “Mohamed Nasheed” gives the possibility for the Addu citizens, foreign investors to start at «local» Islands guesthouses, hotels, resorts, dive,- & watersport centers and other tourism related companies at Addu City.

Addu city will be a “non typical” Maldivian tourist place where tourists can spend their time in a local environment and can explore the Maldivian way of living. The first guesthouse “Stellar Maradhoo” start their opening in 2013, also the first Diving Center “Aquaventure” 1 and the first international tourists «Dive Center Time to Dive from Belgium» 2 those got accommodated at a local island arrived in May 2013, Maradhoo.

Addu City «local Islands» is open for tourism and there are new tourism investment projects going on, to develops «local» Addu City in a new holiday destination in the Maldives.

Gan International Airport will be open in 2013 for International flights. SriLankan Airlines became the first international airline to fly to the Gan International Airport, facilitating a direct connection between Colombo and Ganat