MaldivesQuest editorial standards and fact-checking policy

Every MaldivesQuest guide starts from official sources, shows when it was last reviewed and labels every price with its date and basis. This page sets out those rules so you can judge how far to rely on a page.

It is part of the trust and transaction clarity hub. How we fix mistakes is covered in the corrections and dispute policy, and how prices are built in our price-range methodology.

Where our facts come from

Official sources come first. We use the body that sets or publishes each rule.

Secondary sources, such as booking platforms and news reports, are used only to fill gaps, and only when they are dated and consistent with official information.

How each page is checked

Before a page is published, every specific rule, fee or schedule must be traceable to a source listed on the page. The sources list shows the date each was checked.

Anything without a source is removed. If a detail is useful but unconfirmed, the page tells you what to check and where, for example "confirm the seaplane cut-off with the resort when you book".

Review dates and recheck cycles

Each page shows a "Last reviewed" date. Different facts change at different speeds, so we recheck them on different cycles.

How prices are labelled

Every price shows its basis and the date researched: per person or per room, per night or per stay, and what is included. Ground packages without flights are kept separate from complete trips with flights.

When we calculate, we show the arithmetic so you can check it. Our free trip cost calculator lets you rerun the numbers yourself.

What our pages leave out

Our pages leave out anything that would mislead a planner:

• claimed personal visits or stays, testimonials, reviews or ratings;
• named experts or staff, or client counts;
• live availability or resort rates without a dated source;
• guaranteed wildlife sightings, since whale sharks and mantas are wild animals.

The last point has its own page: why MaldivesQuest never guarantees marine wildlife sightings.

A worked example: the Tourism GST change

Tourism GST in the Maldives rose from 16% to 17% on 1 July 2025, confirmed by a MIRA circular. Many older pages online still show 16%, so a Malaysian couple comparing quotations can easily find two different tax lines.

Our pages use 17%, cite the MIRA circular and show the effect on a room rate. With a 10% service charge applied first, the two together add about 28.7% to a pre-tax room rate (1.10 x 1.17 = 1.287).

The same approach applies to Green Tax, which from 1 January 2025 is USD 12 per guest per night at resorts and USD 6 at registered guesthouses on inhabited islands with 50 rooms or fewer. When an official rate changes, we update every page that uses it and record the change in the corrections log.

How we write

Pages answer the question first, then explain. Paragraphs are short, numbers carry their basis, and limits are written as guidance rather than warnings, for example "if you land after 15:30, plan a night in Hulhumale".

We present options fairly, including when a cheaper or different trip suits a reader better. A family with toddlers, a honeymoon couple and a budget traveller should each find their situation handled or pointed to the right page.

Photos and credits

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons or public domain licences. Each is credited on the image with its author and licence, and our photo attribution policy explains the detail.

Independence from payments

Recommendations in guides are based on research, not on payments. MaldivesQuest may earn a referral fee from the licensed travel provider when a trip is booked, and that arrangement is explained on how MaldivesQuest earns referral revenue. Sponsored content, if ever published, is clearly labelled "Sponsored".