The 26th AGM of BML is to be held at the Hall of the Islamic Centre at 20:30 hrs on Friday, 07th August 2009.

If you are a shareholder or a proxy holder you are requested to be present at Islamic Centre between 08:00 pm and 08:25 pm with the National Identity Card or passport for registration. 

For more info read here, here and here.

Poor finishes that are likely to stay so.

1. Cereal boxes featuring a lock for freshness doesn’t really hold the box firmly enough.
2. Wallets with zips and/or buttons dig deep into credit cards and yet they continue come out to the market.
3. Blackberry bold 9000 never seemed to stop working even when it is put in its case and in my pocket. Oddly enough, often when I pull it off my pocket it now says 'say command'.

Why are the latter two forced to depart from simplicity and convenience that are much easily deliverable?  Why is it that they simply do not allow re-sealing the cereal sack or atleast the box?

I came across a marketer’s blog post on low cost high impact (link). The post deals with unlocking the power of web, gearing up for online business, and about the opportunities of a falling barrier between the resort and the guest, and here is an instant thought that crossed my mind.

Travellers to exotic destinations take a very high risk to their health, safety, and security. Some of the risks are minimised by provisions in Western countries that force tour operators to take certain responsibilities. Risks that are not taken care of sufficiently are risks upon the participants of a transaction. The tour operator, the tourist, the tourism destination, the tourism resort, etc...

The Maldives is, to a large extent, reliant on tour operators. By catering to package holiday makers, the country and its resorts are, to a little degree, able to take refuge of certain European travel/holiday acts and laws. This is definitely not a very safe way foward.

It is one thing that poor countries such as the Maldives provide very little infrastructure, but another thing to ignore basic provisions in tourist health, safety and security. In the short term these gaps may be cost savings, but can they be so in long term? The answer is no, they can’t. A seemingly very little hazard could cause a resort out of business. This may not be a favourable outcome for a business. Yet there is sufficient room to suggest that resorts don’t make out head or tail of the risks that they play up with. To name a few, lack of food handling standards could easily lead to food poisoning; lack of labelling in public spaces means an accident can occur at any time, fresh water being piped/supplied at wrong temperatures means unhealthy bacteria could grow in it, and the list goes on.

Now selling a room over the internet in the name of yield management, for a few extra quids can be viewed as extra wealth and exciting, but in effect elevates operational risk upon the resort and of course for the guest, that if something goes wrong there will not be a single entity for the guest to look upon. Resorts as a business may be unwilling to incur costs on a victim. Even if it did, such an action is likely to fall short in a big way.

Accepting direct bookings is therefore an action that resorts must distance unless and until consequences are weighed. Resorts must wakeup and assess their operational risks more seriously, should they wish to hold on to their assets.

Travel insurance is all too often an advice for the tourist but be warned that, irrespective of where in the world a settlement is offered, in many instances, the extent to which payout is offered, is capped by such figures seen fit by the country in which an incident occured. The Maldives is all too new for this and does not recognise this, just yet. To the destination’s luck things have stayed a bit simple, but will it stay so, forever? Fortunately no tourist has ever filed a law suit locally to see how sunny and exotic the half pint of Islamic Shariyya law practiced in the Maldives is.

I felt lonely as my family were the only Maldivians know to be living Birmingham. Let alone partying, meeting another Maldivian was more like a far off dream.

All this changed when I went over to Manchester for the MSA-UK’s extra general meeting in April. I met surely more than 80 Maldivians living in the UK.

Although none lives in Birmingham some live in Coventry which is quite nearer. Others live in London, Bradford, Bristol and many other cities including Manchester where the meeting was hosted. Faces were new, but soon we began talking and getting to know each other. All were very warm and welcoming with MSA team being extra caring and nice.

As a result of the meeting, I now have quite a bit of new friends and its so nice.

Thank you MSA-UK once again. Thank you, the manchester team including but not limited to shafiu and naaz for the great hospitality extended to us all.

To read more about it visit http://www.msa-uk.org/articles/270