Maldives reopens spas closed because of allegations of vice and prostitution- the guardian

The Maldives president, Mohamed Nasheed, announcing the lifting of the ban on spas on Wednesday. Photograph: Sinan Hussain/AP

The ordered closure of luxury spas at hotels and massage parlours in the Maldives was lifted on Wednesday under pressure from the country's tourism industry, a few days after it was imposed to try to curb perceived vice.

"We have lifted the ban and all the services will be available for tourists," said Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives. "We wanted to give confidence to tourists."

Nasheed said he had ordered the ban, on Saturday, in response to the main opposition party, which claimed the spas and parlours were fronts for prostitution and had led to the spread of drugs and alcohol to residents in the country's mainly Sunni Muslim nation.

Opposition groups, organised by the Islamist Adhaalath party, staged a mass protest on 23 December calling for a crackdown on massage parlours in the capital, Male, and densely populated areas.

But the former Maldives ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said the Progressive party had never asked for an overall ban. The government's move on the spas, he said, had been aimed at resorts owned by some opposition members.

The ban detrimentally affected the tourism industry for the India Ocean nation, which has a population of 400,000 spread over more than 1,200 atolls. The archipelago has pristine white-sand beaches and turquoise waters that attract more than 800,000 tourists each year.

Crosswoods holidays 2011