About Secret Paradise Maldives

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We aim to create positive and meaningful exchanges between our guests and the local communities in which we operate. Meeting local people and experiencing the Maldives through the eyes of our Maldivian guides allows guests to connect with the real Maldives and enhance their trip.

We observe local customs and culture.
We respect the Islamic faith and the rituals and festivals associated with it.
We respect local dress standards and cultural requirements.
We educate our guests and agents through pre trip information and in country briefings.
We encourage guests to learn basic greetings in Dhivehi the local language.
We ensure our tours include opportunities to engage with locals and learn about the local way of life.
We observe basic human rights and support an individual’s right to be treated with equality, freedom and respect both in and outside of the workplace. ....less

Secret Paradise is an award winning local tour company based in the Maldives, with a focus on immersive and positive impact travel, ensuring all your holiday spend remains within the Maldives and the local economy. . In 2022 Wanderlust ranked us in their Top 10 Sustainable Initiative Tour Operators. We received TripAdvisor's Travelers Choice Award 2020, following 5 consecutive years of achieving TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. In 2020 we were commended in the ‘Meaningful Connections’ category World Responsible Tourism Awards and long listed for the 2015 'Best for engaging people and culture' category, World Responsible Tourism Awards.
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Whether you are a solo traveller, couple, family with children or friends seeking a new adventure, we would be delighted to assist in planning your trip. Our style of guided tour offers much more than a conventional beach holiday and will immerse you in the culture and traditions of the Maldives, its amazing marine life, friendly local communities and provide you with a greater understanding and knowledge of our fragile environment.

One of our local guides accompanies you throughout the tour allowing access to experiences most guests visiting the Maldives will not encounter. You can travel safely in the knowledge that you are in capable hands, all our guide team are certified in the care and safety of guests holding First Emergency Response and Lifeguard certification.

Our guests travel responsibly, absorb, engage and explore, leaving the Maldives having trodden lightly on its environment and contributed in a meaningful way. If that sounds like you, read on! ....less

Secret Paradise follows local guidelines and regulations in regard to minimising the spread of infectious diseases.
By joining the tour you knowingly and freely acknowledge all such risks related to illness and infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. ....less

ECONOMIC RESPONSIBILITY

We aim to ensure revenue generated remains within the Maldives to provide a positive impact on the local economy and put profits into local hands so that individuals and local communities can benefit directly.

We provide employment and business opportunities for local people.
We coach and develop Maldivian youth through work experience programs to widen their career opportunities.
We use locally owned and operated infrastructure and source services developed and managed by locals.
We choose not to have our own fleet of vehicles and vessels and to use local public transport and when this is not possible to use private locally owned transport.
We support social enterprises, local trade, arts and crafts artisans and encourage our guests to visit them.
We encourage the purchase of sustainable and locally produced goods rather than imported products.
We pay relevant taxes and do not engage in any form of bribery, corruption or fraudulent activities.
We comply with all laws, regulations and guidelines in the Maldives.
We support local NGOs and charitable organizations and work with them on projects that care for the community or environment through fundraising, advocacy or awareness.
We encourage our supplier base to be involved in decision making and sustainable development through our Partner Sustainable Group.
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ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

We aim to ensure that the experiences and environments we share with our guests, both above and below the ocean, can be encountered not just once, but also by future generations of Maldivians and travelers.

We minimize our environmental impact and offset our emissions through Travel Net Zero.
Since 2021 we have chosen not to offer day tours that travel beyond the atoll in which we are based in order to minimize our emissions.
We minimize the use of resources – energy and water, in our office and educate and encourage our guests to minimize their usage during their stay.
We encourage our guests to deal with waste appropriately, to lead by example and where possible take non-recyclable waste home.
We encourage all our guests to bring their own reusable water bottle and have our own branded bottles to distribute.
We partner Parley Maldives, allowing us to intercept plastic waste during our tours and send for recycling, which prevents it from entering the ocean or being disposed of in a destructive way.
Through our Sustainable Partner Group we encourage our suppliers and partners to adopt more sustainable practices.
Through learning experiences with our guides we provide guest awareness on corals, marine life, seagrass, mangroves, waste management and plastic pollution.
We brief all guests participating in snorkeling activities on the Green Fins Code of Conduct, this improves their knowledge on what they can do to help protect the ocean and coral reefs.
We follow Code of Conducts produced by international marine organizations when encountering manta rays, whale sharks and turtles while snorkeling and diving.
We collaborate with the Maldives Whale Shark Research Program, a charity founded to learn more about the life cycle, population dynamics and habitat usage of the Maldives whale shark population. This enables us to educate our team, provide guests with marine education and spread the importance of whale sharks.
Since 2021 we have committed to introducing new products in less popular or well know areas of the Maldives where there are less tourists.
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I discovered the Maldives over 20 years ago, visiting as a scuba diver in search of mantas and whale sharks. I was fortunate and found a reasonably priced resort that allowed me to stay and indulge in my hobby. But then came along development and my well-loved resort went luxury and beyond my price range. So I moved to diving from a boat which also enabled me to gain an understanding of local island life.

I always consider myself lucky to have found a group of Maldivian friends who would invite me to their family homes for dinner, share afternoon hedhika, and invite me for coffee and beetle nuts! My love and appreciation of this country, its people, its culture, and its traditions were almost immediate and resulted in me visiting the archipelago on over 30 occasions.

In 2012, the opportunity to relocate arose. I had at that point worked for UK retailer British Home Stores for over 25 years and felt it was time for a change so, with the support of a local businessman, Ziyad Mohamed, we formed Secret Paradise. Our mission is to introduce the real Maldives to guests and support local communities.

Maldivians are known for their friendliness and hospitality and nothing is too much trouble for them. It was my own experience of Maldivian hospitality and their eagerness to please that gave rise to the cultural aspects of our tours which allows us to engage with local families, communities, and businesses.

The basis of our tours has always been to allow guests to learn about the Maldives, its culture, beliefs, and traditions, and what better way to do this than to see the country through the eyes of a local and experience daily life. Traveling by public ferry, staying on an inhabited island where the local community benefits directly from the income gained from tourism. Sharing breakfast with a family in their home, exchanging stories of daily life, relaxing with a coffee in a local café watching the world go by. ....less

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We aim to create positive and meaningful exchanges between our guests and the local communities in which we operate. Meeting local people and experiencing the Maldives through the eyes of our Maldivian guides allows guests to connect with the real Maldives and enhance their trip.

We observe local customs and culture.
We respect the Islamic faith and the rituals and festivals associated with it.
We respect local dress standards and cultural requirements.
We educate our guests and agents through pre trip information and in country briefings.
We encourage guests to learn basic greetings in Dhivehi the local language.
We ensure our tours include opportunities to engage with locals and learn about the local way of life.
We observe basic human rights and support an individual’s right to be treated with equality, freedom and respect both in and outside of the workplace. ....less

Sustainable and Responsible tourism has been an integral part of our business model since 2012. We are mindful of ensuring we promote local tourism in line with Maldivian culture and traditions. Through education of our team, our guests and locals, we aim to protect the environment and limit where ever possible any negative impact to local life.

As a team we aim to inspire, inform and demonstrate to our partners, our guests and the tourism industry as a whole, that we are committed to ensuring we offer only responsible and positive travel experiences.

We believe that people, communication and education are the foundation of Sustainable Tourism. This is the reason that we have built our business on four communities:
– Our Guests
– Our Team
– Local Islanders
– NGO and charity organizations

We understand that success requires focus, adaption and long-term thinking. Change does not often happen overnight but is a gradual process, but surely in a destination such as the Maldives it is our responsibility to make that difference. ....less

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