Shopping in Maldives
Maldivian handcrafted souvenirs.
Malé is the commercial hub of the Maldives in addition to being the capital city. Varieties of consumer goods are imported to Maldives and are sold in Malé. Electronic items, beauty products, perfumes, chocolates and cosmetics are available from shops in different parts of Malé.
Garments are mainly found in shops in Majeedhee Magu and Chandhanee Magu, two well-known streets of Malé. Garments are mainly imported from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Dubai. The shopping area of Chandhanee Magu is known as Singapore Baazaar, named after the shops that used to be there, with products imported from Singapore in 1960s and 1970s. Today, the area is flooded with souvenir shops. Nevertheless, one can still find varieties of other products in this area.
Most of the souvenir shops are located in the area of Chandhanee Magu, Orchid Magu, Fareedhee Magu and Faamudheyri Magu. The shops offer diverse items, both imported and locally produced. Lacquer works, locally woven mats from dried coconut leaves and reeds, wooden fishes, T-shirts, sarongs, caps, scarves, bracelets, rings, necklaces, shells, models of local vessels (dhoani) made out of wood and oyster shells, postcards, books on Maldives, and maps are some of the items available. Not all these items are produced in Maldives. Some of them are imported from Dubai, India and Indonesia.
It is better to visit some shops and compare the prices before purchasing anything. You may find a lot of people trying to persuade you to visit a certain shop and it is in your best interest that you should be independent in your decisions.
The duty free shops in Malé International Airport offers you a variety of commodities including from electronic items, liqueur, chocolates, jewellery, souvenirs, stationary, perfumes, and toys.
In each resort, you will find a shop catering for in-house guests. Items like cosmetics sun protection and tanning products, sarongs, shorts, swim wear are found.
In many local islands in the tourism zone, souvenir shops have flourished. They also provide diverse range of souvenirs for the tourists who might visit the islands on excursions. Himmafushi, Maafushi, Huuraa, and Guraidhoo of Malé Atoll are famous for its souvenir shops. Rasdhoo, Mahibadhoo and Dhagethi in Ari Atoll are also well known.
The shops in the Maldives open at different times in the morning but usually before 9.00 A.M. The shops closes for prayer times for an interval of 15 minutes. The latest time for the shops to close business is 11.00 P.M.
