The Maldives government has given the green light to a monorail system linking Hulhumale with the international airport.
Hulhumale Development Corporation chairman Hassan Ziath said it would primarily benefit tourists with a second phase of development including a tourist island, city hotels and private beaches.
"Even now, 80 percent of tourists who visit Hulhumale are transit passengers. If we make it more convenient for them to travel to Hulhumale, it would increase injection of foreign currency into the economy," he said.
The monorail would be managed by a consortium made up of Hulhumale Development Corporation, Maldives Ports Limited and Maldives Transport and Construction Company.
Ziath said that preparations are well advanced and work will start in mid-November.
The Maldives attracts over one million tourists each year and the monorail and planned infrastructure improvements at the airport are expected to boost numbers further.
