President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has extended best regards to everyone behind the resilient success of the country’s tourism industry.

In commemoration of World Tourism Day, the president took his felicitations to Twitter, extending best wishes to individuals and organizations working in the tourism industry for making the sector “the resilient success” it is.

He went on to offer a warm welcome to potential visitors “to our sunny shores”, as Maldives progresses in the road to recovery from Covid-19.

September 27 marks the tourism day annually and this year, the festivities revolve around the theme, ‘Tourism and Rural Development’.

This year’s tourism day celebrates the unique role tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world.

In an interview with RaajjeMV, Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom revealed that this year’s theme will celebrate culture and natural heritage of local tourism outside of the capital city. He added that the theme goes well with the president’s vision for the sector.

Maldives saw a record number of tourist arrivals at 1.7 million during 2019 and although the government aimed for a groundbreaking two million arrival rate for this year, the global Covid-19 pandemic had the vision compromised.

The pandemic struck the global economy hard and Maldives tourism sector had been at a standstill for months, having been affected way before the first few cases even surfaced on March 7.