Vice President Faisal Naseem has credited the success and milestones achieved by the tourism sector of Maldives, to the hard work and dedication of the youth community working in the industry.

He made this remark in his address at the "Raa Tourism Expo 2022" awards ceremony held in Dhuvaafaru island in Raa atoll on Saturday.

He is currently on a six-island tour of Raa atoll and the “Raa Tourism Expo 2022” was held as part of celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tourism industry, initiated by the Raa atoll council.

Taking the podium at the event, VP Naseem shed light on the resilience and hard work of tourism sector employees recorded over the past 50 years, extending his heartfelt gratitude to them.

He went on to touch down on the extraordinary sacrifices of tourism sector staff, especially the youth, who had been working away from their families. With this, VP Naseem thanked them for their invaluable contributions to the development of the sector.

VP Naseem went on to credit the success of the tourism sector to the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, despite being in the face of trying times presented by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The ceremony saw the vice president conferring awards to the winners of the handicraft exhibition held as part of the exposition and the recipients of the Atoll Resort Awards.

He also received a commemorative plaque of appreciation from the Raa Atoll Council.