As part of his visit to Germany, President Mohamed Nasheed participated in a tourism evening, Maldivian Night, organised by the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board on Wednesday.
At the function, which was attended by major tour operators and the media, the President discussed recent performance of the tourism industry. After a downturn in previous months, the President said, tourist arrival rate was now picking up.
He praised the private sector for the “hard work done” in making the industry strong and resilient. The government, he said, wanted to be out of the business and facilitate its growth as a regulator.
At the function, the President launched a new tourism advert focused on environmental preservation, which was made in association with the National Geographic Channel.
President Nasheed is visiting Germany at the invitation by German Chancellor Angel Merkel and to attend the ITB tourism fair.
