Maldives lifts spa ban
The government in the Maldives is to allow luxury resorts in the country to resume spa operations, according to local media reports.
President Mohamed Nasheed made the announcement during a press conference held at Kurumba Maldives resort.
The government ordered all the resorts in Maldives to shut down their spas following demands made at a protest organised by religious organisations and opposition parties.
Conservative Islamic religious groups claimed the spas were being run as brotherls, claims strenuously denied by luxury resort operators.
Interestingly, the official Maldives tourism website has continued to promote spas during the recent controversy.
The site tells potential visitors, “The types of treatments vary with each spa but you can get almost any world-class treatment in a Maldivian spa.
“Every Maldivian resort has a spa; some of them nestled deep within thick vegetation, others sitting in solitude on a wooden jetty built on the lagoon, and some even built underwater.â€
In a separate announcement, the government revealed its plan for a total ban on alcohol and pork in the Maldives.
Ian Jarrett
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