happy_life

Hi experts,

My wife and I always bring small gifts whenever we travel abroad and are wondering what gifts are appropriate for the Maldivans: adults and young kids?

Any hints would be appreciated

Cicerone

I don’t know what you have brought as gifts in other countries, I imagine things like pens, pencils, stickers, key chains. (I am not a huge fan of giving candy.) Those types of small gifts would be fine in the Maldives too. Note that unless you make a special trip to Male or to an “inhabited” island, you are unlikely to run into locals other than your hotel staff (and none will be children). Each resort hotel is located on its own island and does not share it with a village or another resort. Resort staff live on the island in their own quarters. (There are some exceptions, like the island of Gan in the very far south which is series of good-size island connected by causeways, and has a few hotels on it together with several villages.) “Inhabited” islands are for locals and have schools, dispensaries/hospitals, farms and local businesses like fishermen and/or fish farms.

Giving out gifts on the streets of Male is probably not necessary and might be considered a bit strange or perhaps misinterpreted. Giving these types of items out if you go to an inhabited island would probably be fine; these trips can usually be arranged by your hotel, and they often include a school visit where the gifts may be most appropriate.

Liquor is banned in the Maldives (except in resort hotels, you cannot bring any in with you either), but I’m assuming you are considering a liquor gift. Maldivians are fairly conservative, so it might be best for you to give to boys and your wife to give to girls, although if the girls do not seem afraid to approach you, then I would say it is OK for you to hand gifts to girls.

You could also make a cash donation to your island’s mosque (every resort island has one for staff) or to the school or mosque on an inhabited island.

I think giving to adults is harder. There is a very strong tradition of hospitality in the Maldives (it’s a combination of Middle Eastern and Indian culture) so if you give a gift, the adult may feel obligated to reciprocate, which can be awkward for you given the disparity in incomes. (In any event, as a male, I would not suggest you hand any gift to an adult female unless she is your hostess at something at her home; otherwise I think that is ripe for misinterpretation.) At the resort, there is no problem with tipping hotel staff in cash, rather than gifts. Given what they make, they may appreciate that more. (I would do this even if a “tip” is included in your bill, as those tips are often pooled to all staff, or worse, not shared with the staff providing the service at all, but lumped into general revenues.)

happy_life

Thanks Cicerone for your insightful response which I believe you must have put many thoughts in.

Since we're thinking of staying in an island resort where, as you mentioned, there are no young kids, will it be considered to be abnormal if we give gifts to hotel staff, receptionists and bellboys for instance?

Cicerone

I actually think the staff would prefer cash to gifts, but there is no harm of course in giving gifts to the adults assuming they are appropriate for the age (i.e., adults may not appreciate a sticker). If you get to know the staff and find out that they have children (which is not unusual, but most likely the kids are living on the “home atoll” and not at the resort) then you could give kid-type gifts for their children which would probably be considered a very thoughtful gesture.

As a very broad generalization, most of the men working at the resorts will be Maldivians, but I think you will find that most of the women will be foreigners from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. Your housekeeper is likely to be a man as well are most of the other resort staff. These are well-paying jobs and mostly go to local men. Front desk staff may include Maldivian women with a bit more education. Spa staff are likely to be foreign women. So in terms of what gift items you bring with you, you might want to keep that in mind.

I also would encourage you to make a trip to an inhabited island if you can. Even if a hotel-sponsored trip is sort of canned, it would still be a nice experience and would almost without doubt include an opportunity to meet children.

I have spent a lot of time in the Maldives as I am very lucky to have worked on several projects which have required frequent travel there. It would be difficult, in my opinion, to find friendlier, kinder or more hospitable people anywhere in the world. And I say that as a person who has lived in Asia for more than 15 years, so the bar is set pretty high for me. While they certainly have their issues (like anyplace else), it is a wonderful country.

happy_life

Thanks again for your advice. We will definitely consider taking a trip to an inhabited island.

Hanuman

The biggest gifts for hotel staffs = TIPS!