President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has inaugurated the initiative to draft the fifth tourism master plan.

President Solih inaugurated the initiative at an event on Monday night.

The Tourism Ministry stated that the master plan, to span from 2020 to 2025, will include increasing the involvement of women in the tourism sector, environmental protection, using more renewable energy, and improving the current laws and regulations.

The master plan also involves improving the safety of tourists, allowing the profits from tourism to flow into the Maldives economy, safeguarding and renewing Maldivian culture and heritage, and providing job and career opportunities for Maldivians.

The Ministry stated that the main aim of the fifth master plan is to establish policies to improve the future prospects of Maldives tourism.

The registry of tourist workers was also inaugurated at Monday night’s event. Its purpose is to acknowledge and solve the issues facing Maldivian tourist workers as well as provide training opportunities.

At the event, the ministry also introduced the Beach Scouts, who are tasked with observing and investigating incidents involving tourists. 50 Beach Scouts have been dispatched to 19 islands in the first phase.

The previous master plan was inaugurated during President Abdulla Yameen’s administration in 2013 by then Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.