ABSTRACT
Maldives’ paradoxes intrigue even more than its breathtaking beauty: there were 1.2 million visitors from around the world in 2014 to a nation with a population of under 400,000 and only two cities. Maldives includes 110 resort-islands with developing costs averaging $1.5 million/room in the middle of the Indian Ocean – yet 61,000 locals scrape by on $1/day. Anything goes at the über-luxury resort-cum-playgrounds of the rich and famous – yet liquor, pork and swimsuits are banned elsewhere in this 100% Sunni Muslim country.
