The government aims to expand tourism across the entirety of Maldives, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The president took the podium during a ceremony held at Kurumba Maldives to launch the official one-year countdown to the 50th anniversary of the Tourism Industry, where he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to do everything in their power to develop the Maldives’ tourism industry.

Highlighting that 44.5 percent of the country’s GDP is contributed by the tourism sector, the president noted that other sectors linked directly and indirectly to the tourism sector, have a major role to play in maintaining and progressing the sector.

He noted that marginal development efforts are required for the vision to become a reality, adding that transport links across islands, access to safe drinking water, proper sewerage networks and telecommunication services must be established across the nation to expand tourism.

Further shedding light on the great progress in the efforts to develop these services, Solih said that his administration envisions he establishment of water and sewerage networks in all inhabited islands by the end of 2023.

On this note, he added that work to establish the ‘Integrated National Public Ferry Network’, a high-speed ferry network connecting the islands is also underway.

With the development of these services, a hopeful president noted that local tourism will expand, with guesthouses and hotels becoming more convenient.

Going on to shed light on the incumbent administration’s vision for a more prosperous future for the tourism sector, the president said that future generations will benefit from the implementation of sound environmental policies that ensure sustainability and revolve around climate change.

President Solih also stated that it is important to stay on track with the ‘National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan’, which covers the phase-out of Single-Use Plastics and the country’s ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The president added that increased participation of women and youth is vital to tourism progress, stressing on the appreciated contributions of industry workers.

First Lady Fazna Ahmed also joined the president at the ceremony, alongside Minister of the Cabinet, senior government officials, representatives of the tourism industry as well as long-serving members and leaders of the industry.

Maldives is gearing up to mark 50 years since the tourism industry’s inception, in 2022, which is to be celebrated as the golden year of tourism in Maldives. During 2020, Maldives recorded 555,494 tourist arrivals, which was a drastic plunge from the previous year’s 1,702,887 arrivals. Arrivals for the ongoing year have been picking up pace over the past months.