During an event held tonight at Dharubaaruge to commemorate World Tourism Day, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih delivered remarks outlining his administration’s tourism policy. The President emphasized that a successful economy should be measured by the rising incomes of the country’s citizens and that accordingly his government’s tourism policy is intended to directly increase the earnings of those who work in the industry and to ensure that the general public is the economic beneficiaries thereof.
The President expressed his satisfaction at the pace of progress of this important industry which contributes so much to the Maldives’ GDP. He referenced statistics indicating that tourist arrivals have increased by about 18.7% in the past year alone. Furthermore, he expressed his optimism that investors now seem to anticipate a period of political stability for the future in which the Maldives will honour our contractual obligations. Accordingly, 28 separate investors have expressed interest in undertaking projects in the Maldives and 27 of these have already been approved by the Government.
For assessment purposes, the country is currently undertaking a nationwide effort to register and enter into statistical compilations all those employed in the tourism industry. This will allow the government to evaluate the broad trends pertinent to employment in the tourism industry and calculate options to improve their situation and extrapolate ways to further improve the tourism sphere.
The President’s remarks also shone a light on the 5th iteration of the Tourism Master Plan, which was unveiled tonight, emphasizing that this plan would allow for an equitable distribution of Tourism projects throughout all of the Maldives’ atolls, so that communities across the entire breadth of the country will have access to its benefits. The President further remarked that it is expected that in the future at least 35,000 jobs relevant to Tourism will be created and that a significant portion of these jobs will be reserved for Maldivians who will be trained to ably work in this industry. Further, the President remarked that this administration, within the overall matrix of the Land Act, will allocate large plots of land that can be utilized for Tourism purposes.
Remarking on the importance of working alongside the private sector, the President’s words also touched on the need to reduce several of the logistical impediments to businesses interested in working in the tourism sector, to further progress the industry. The President reiterated that his administration is committed to working hand in hand with private industries to address such obstacles and enhance the ease of doing business within the tourism industry.
