Originally Posted by
ridefar
What does that distinction really mean? Aren't all properties in the Maldives obliged to have a certain (high) percentage of local ownership and employment? When many/most hotels are not actually owned by a chain, but just use the name, standards, etc., hotels are more like franchises anyway. I don't see a distinction between this and say, Larry Ellison, owning a Four Seasons resort (or two, or an island).
No they don't in tourism. Foreign companies are allowed to operate 100% foreign owned resorts. No one owns the island. Not even Maldivian companies. The islands are only leased from the government. So it is kind of a lease.