Mohamed Umar “MU” Manik, the chairman of Universal Enterprises and one of the founding members of the Maldivian tourism industry, passed away early Saturday at the age of 78. He was being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where he was admitted on August 28.
MU Manik played a major role in building the Maldives’ tourism sector. In the 1980s, he helped bring Germany’s Condor Airlines to the Maldives, which opened the country to the wider European market.At the time of his passing, he remained one of the Maldives’ biggest resort operators, leading Universal Enterprises.
Alongside his work in tourism, MU Manik served the Maldivian government for nearly 20 years, starting in 1971 until his retirement from public service in 1990, mostly at the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also held top positions including board member of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), chairperson of Island Aviation Services, and chairperson of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), a role he held until January 2024.
MU Manik was widely recognised for his contributions, receiving the National Award of Recognition (1982), the National Award of Honor (2002), the Minivan 25 Public Service Award, and the President’s Tourism Golden Award (2022). The Maldives has lost one of the founding figures of its tourism industry. MU Manik’s work helped transform the country’s economy and place the Maldives among the world’s most popular holiday destinations.
