From 30 coral rooms to global luxury: tourism titan MU Maniku dies at 78

Hailed as "The Man Who Built Paradise," he was a towering figure behind every milestone in the half-century journey from a simple 30-room resort to upmarket properties operated by international chains.

Born in 1946, Maniku studied in Sri Lanka and returned to the Maldives after completing his college education in Pakistan. When Corbin arrived with the first group of tourists in February 1972, there were no banks, no airport – only a small airstrip on Hulhulé – and no telephones. Maldivians relied on ham radio and Morse code communication with Colombo.

Working as an agriculture officer, Maniku would finish his government duties at 1:30pm and travel to Vihamanaafushi, a coconut plantation island near Malé. The young men pooled their resources to build the country's first resort with modest huts of coral stone walls and coconut-thatched roofs, undaunted by a United Nations assessment declaring tourism unfeasible over the lack of infrastructure. Kurumba Village opened in October 1972.

"I myself was the cook in the kitchen. I worked for many years in the bar too, every day. We had to do things ourselves, we didn't think to depend on anyone else," Maniku would later recall.

Aside from cooking, he also worked as gardener and room attendant. "We knew nothing about tourism. It was tourists who helped us build the industry here. We listened to them and gave them what they wanted," he said.

A watershed moment came in 1987 when Maniku spearheaded Kurumba's transformation into a world-class luxury hotel, shifting the Maldives from a budget destination to a high-end market that would define its brand. His strategic vision in the 1980s to bring Germany's Condor Airlines directly to the Malé airport freed the nation from dependence on Sri Lankan stopovers, marking what he called "the day the Maldives truly became an independent destination."

As chairman of Universal Enterprises for over five decades, Maniku became part of what critics called the Maldivian "tourism oligarchy" – a small group of resort tycoons whose influence over governments was seen as outsized.

As his company grew to operate eight properties, forming partnerships with prestigious brands including Starwood, W Hotels, and Per Aquum, Maniku saw his role as a guardian of national interests in an industry built from nothing. His nationalism was evident in his opposition to the 2010 privatisation of the country's main airport to India's GMR. Despite welcoming foreign hotel operators to the Maldives, he viewed the airport as critical national infrastructure that should remain under Maldivian control. "We Maldivians can develop it ourselves," he insisted, warning that giving away an asset potentially worth US$ 100 million annually was a foolish decision.

Maniku commanded unique respect in the industry. As founding chairman of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry – a position he held for over 30 consecutive years until his death – he was credited with fostering the "one island, one resort" concept, protecting the sector from short-sighted political decisions and steering it through global crises, natural disasters, and economic upheavals.

Beyond tourism, Maniku dedicated nearly two decades to public service from 1971 to 1990, serving in various positions at the agriculture ministry, as a board member of the Maldives Monetary Authority, as chairman of Island Aviation Services, and as chairman of the Maldives Airports Company Limited from 2013 until January 2024. He was also a founding member of the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he served as president.

Successive administrations recognised Maniku's contributions. He received the National Award of Recognition in 1982, the National Award of Honour in 2002, and in 2011 was conferred the Order of the Dignified Rule of Muleege Dynasty. More recently, he was honoured on the golden jubilee of tourism in 2022 with the President's Tourism Golden Award.

Maniku rarely spoke to the media and steered clear of partisan politics. A notable exception came in 2018, when Maniku and Afeef appeared to endorse former president Abdulla Yameen's economic policies during a televised panel discussion, drawing sharp rebukes from those who saw it as emblematic of the concentration of power.

To supporters, he remained a visionary nation-builder who protected Maldivian interests and "put the country on the map".

"He was a steady hand that led through decades of change, and a mentor for many. We remember a man whose legacy cannot be confined to a date or any place," Universal Enterprises noted in their statement.

Maniku's philanthropic contributions were widely acknowledged. According to those close to him, he funded the medical education of numerous Maldivians who now serve as doctors. Universal Enterprises claims credit for producing more medical professionals than any other private entity in the country. His support extended to educational opportunities across other disciplines as well.

In his final days before departing for medical treatment in Singapore, Maniku had sent a letter about building a mosque in Hulhumalé, Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed revealed. "His very last dream was to build a mosque," Shaheem noted, confirming that land had been allocated for this final wish.

"Tourism isn't always a bed of roses," Maniku once observed, "but we have shown that with tact and dedication we can still remain in the game."

He is survived by his wife, two children, and grandchildren.

In building an industry from scratch, Mohamed Umar Maniku helped forge the modern Maldives, with all its accomplishments and contradictions.