Upmarket resorts in the Maldives moved tourists away from beaches and some even issued guests with life jackets following an Indian Ocean tsunami alert on Wednesday, hotel staff said.
About 420 guests at the luxury Hilton Iru Fushi resort were told to evacuate the beach as news of the possible tsunami spread.
"We asked all our guests to gather on a building in the centre of the island," a resort spokesman told AFP by telephone. "We also gave them life jackets as a precaution. Soon after, we learnt there was no tsunami threat."
At the Taj Exotica resort, staff said that 160 holiday makers had assembled at a designated evacuation centre and were given life jackets until the tsunami alert was cancelled.
The Maldives, a nation of 1192 tiny coral islands, has established luxury resorts in 100 islets catering to well-heeled holiday makers and honeymooners who pay up to $12 500 a night.
Around 850 000 tourists visited last year, drawn by the tropical resorts surrounded by coral reefs and crystal-clear turquoise waters.
At least 125 locals and tourists were killed in the Maldives in the 2004 Asian tsunami which devastated tourism infrastructure.
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