There are tourist resorts in the Maldives that create their own time zone. And they have good reasons for doing so.

In a country made up of hundreds of islands, there are resorts that set their clocks forward an hour. They call it “Island Time.”

Vacation is a time to relax, but even relaxation is not immune to the relentless dictate of the clock. There are resorts in the Maldives that have understood this paradox and act accordingly. How? By deceiving themselves. And then into the country’s time zone. It sounds complicated, but in practice it is very simple: convinced that this is the best way for their guests to enjoy their vacation to the fullest, there are hotel complexes that change the clocks at their own discretion. Even if it makes them stand out from the rest of the world.

It sounds crazy, but it makes sense.

On vacation, relaxation… and schedule. It’s paradoxical, but true. Although vacations are a time meant for rest, even they are not immune to the logic of the clock. Airplanes wait for no one, register And check They have their own schedule, just like restaurants, cafes and clubs, and if you booked a tour, you’ll likely miss it if you arrive too late. To fully enjoy the day, you’ll also need to keep an eye on the minute hand. After all, even in the Caribbean, the number of hours of sunshine per day is limited.

If your time zone doesn’t suit you… Think of it like some Maldivian resorts have done. Realizing that the clock continues to rule even during vacations, there are resorts on the archipelago that have decided to ask themselves: why not move the clock hands as you please? Can they be adapted to the needs of tourists? In any other part of the world, such an idea would be crazy, but in a tropical country made up of 1,200 islands and heavily dependent on tourism, it is more feasible.

A good proof is that there are resorts in the Maldives that operate on what is known as “island time,” as CNN explained in a recent report describing this curious practice. What does it consist of? Very simple. They set their clocks back at least one hour from the country’s official time zone, which is defined as UTC+05.00. Some have noted that some resorts in the capital Male are 120 minutes behind schedule.

“Island Time”. “This deliberate schedule adjustment is more than just a travel fad; it’s a thoughtful enhancement to the guest experience that meets the diverse needs of our international guests,” Mohit Dembla, general manager of JW Marriot Maldives, told CNN. The property is part of the Marriott Group, along with three other island properties, all of which are Island Time properties.

But why? Simple: make your customers’ lives easier. Adjusting the schedule is not an exaggeration, but, as Dembla assures, practice has shown that it “improves the experience” of tourists. For example, if the clocks are moved forward, the distribution of daylight hours changes. The sun rises “later”, but the afternoon time is also “stretched out”, and tourists can plan their day differently: if the sun rises at seven in Male, for guests of the resort it will rise at eight, and if in the capital it will set at eight on the island it will be at nine.

Sun and daylight hours are logically the same, but distributed differently. The one that can offer the guest more comfort. In the end, it is not about more light, but about getting it at the best time. “With the sun rising at 7am and setting at 7:15pm, our guests enjoy perfectly timed daylight for morning jogging or evening exercise, escaping the peak heat,” comments Charles Morris.

Sign of identityOf course, the schedule used by resorts is not official and is not recognized. In fact, “island time” is not even a common practice in the Maldives. There are businesses that choose to set their clocks an hour ahead of Male, and others that do not. Those that do defend its benefits so that travelers can enjoy the best sunsets and entertainment.

Those who prefer to stick to the official time zone argue that playing with the minute hand can confuse tourists or harm the quality of life of their own employees who may commute from other parts of the country.

“They work by their own rules”. What is certain is that the Maldives’ unique multi-island configuration makes this kind of clock-playing easier. “Because most resorts in the Maldives are located on their own private islands and often several miles off the coast of Male, they tend to operate by their own rules,” says another resort. Travelers arrive to the islands via seaplane, which picks them up from the capital’s airport and has staff on hand to help them get organized and adjust to their new schedule.

Interestingly, the truth is that this measure has been in place for some time in the Maldives, and there are other tourist destinations around the world that have revised their schedules to gain sunshine hours, improve the quality of life of their neighbors… and thus give a boost to their economies and tourist appeal.

Images | Ilya Panasenko (Unsplash) and Xtra, Inc. (Unsplash)

In Hataka | Maldives fear rising seas will swallow them up. Their plan: a floating metropolis for 20,000 people