AMINATH VULY NAZIM ON THE JOURNEY OF H78 GURAIDHOO AND THE FUTURE OF MALDIVIAN TOURISM
Beyond the turquoise waters and white sandy beaches, the Maldives offers a rich cultural experience shaped by its island communities, traditions and everyday life. H78 Guraidhoo, part of H78 Group, provides an opportunity to explore this side of the Maldives. The journey of H78 began in 2014, when Aminath Vuly Nazim and her husband turned their shared dream into a hospitality business. Starting with a hotel in Hulhumalé, the group has expanded into restaurants and transport services. Nazim is the co-founder and managing director of H78 Group, with more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industries across the Maldives and the United Kingdom. She studied Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Birmingham and is pursuing a PhD in Innovative Tourism at the University of Primorska. She also serves as a non-executive director of Visit Maldives Corporation and is a member of the Women Entrepreneurs Association Maldives (WEAM). In this interview, Nazim discusses the journey behind H78, the importance of Maldivian culture in tourism, the challenges faced by women in hospitality and changing traveller expectations.
You began your journey as a graduate and went on to build your own hospitality business. What was the turning point that made you believe this dream could become a reality?
H78 was a shared dream between my husband and me. We studied hospitality and tourism in the UK for many years, up until our master’s degrees. We also worked with major brands, including Crowne Plaza and Hilton, as well as other big brands in the UK. Entrepreneurship was something we were familiar with because my father and my maternal grandfather were both entrepreneurs. I grew up seeing many entrepreneurs around me. My husband’s parents were also entrepreneurs, so we always wanted to have something of our own, especially something near the beach. Our parents believed in us enough to give us the opportunity to establish H78. It was not a difficult decision for us to return and start our business. We opened our first hotel in 2014, and since then, we have expanded into different areas.
From hotels to restaurants and transport services, H78 Group has expanded into different areas. How do you decide when it is the right time to take the next step?
Our growth has been organic. As we developed our hotels, we realised that we needed to provide our customers with the best dining experiences. That was why we started opening restaurants that met our standards. Later, when we moved to H78 Guraidhoo, we realised that we needed to have our own transport operations. That was the reason we started our transport services as well. It has been organic growth. We learn as we go along, and I believe we are in a good place at the moment.
Beyond beaches and luxury stays, how can local guesthouses give international visitors a deeper connection to Maldivian culture and everyday life?
Honestly, it has been a really beautiful journey. We started our first hotel in Hulhumalé, which is a very urban environment. We had many guests telling us how interesting it was to see how Maldivians live, how we travel across the bridge every day and how we take boats to work.
It was very interesting for them to see how we live. Now, as we have moved to Guraidhoo, it is an opportunity for us to share a different side of our culture. The island of Guraidhoo is very popular for muranga, or moringa, which is known as a superfood. When visitors see the older women of the island removing the moringa leaves and preparing them for cooking, they get to see a part of our culture that they might not otherwise experience. It allows them to see behind the scenes of our beautiful culture, and it is a privilege for us to share this with the world.
As a board member of Visit Maldives Corporation, what does the Maldives need to focus on to stand out in an increasingly competitive global tourism market?
One thing that has always been really special about the Maldives is our authenticity, particularly how we offer hospitality to our customers. This is something that has never changed over the years. Even though the tourism landscape may be changing, this is one thing that will never change. At Visit Maldives, we are discussing how we can move forward with our tourism products. I believe authenticity is what is needed in the tourism landscape today, and it is how we will stand out.
As a woman leading a hospitality business, what has your experience taught you about leadership, and how can more women be encouraged to take up leadership roles in tourism?
Being a woman in hospitality is not that easy. We work long hours, and we work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For a woman who is married and has children, it is especially difficult. We need to build an infrastructure for women so that they can look after their children and homes while also being able to work in hospitality. To encourage more women to enter the industry, we need to provide support for childcare and other needs. I would also say that we need to accommodate women’s needs during their menstrual cycles, as that can be very difficult to manage while working. The necessary infrastructure needs to be in place to support women in the industry. As an entrepreneur, one of the things I have learnt is to manage my time. My time is divided between my child, my home and my work, so time management is something I have really had to learn in order to be successful.
Having witnessed the sector’s growth over the years, what do you believe will define the next chapter of guesthouse tourism in the Maldives?
I think the next chapter of guesthouse tourism will be about incorporating Maldivian culture into the guesthouse experience once again, while also standardising it. Travellers today are very experienced and have seen many things. However, what makes the Maldives unique is its Maldivian culture and hospitality. We really need to incorporate these into our tourism products in order to be successful in the next chapter of tourism.
As someone pursuing a PhD in Innovative Tourism, what changes in traveller expectations should Maldivian tourism businesses prepare for?
While pursuing my PhD, I do a lot of reading and research. One thing I have found is that travellers’ expectations have changed over time. People now expect a more diversified tourism product. At Visit Maldives and within my own businesses, we are trying to provide a diversified range of products for our customers. For example, we have adventure tourism and culinary tourism. Here in Guraidhoo, we also focus a lot on families and the different experiential tourism opportunities we can offer on the island.
These are some of the things I have learnt through my PhD research. We need to diversify our tourism products to make sure we cater to a broader audience.
