President Mohamed Nasheed has opened Vivanta Coral Reef Maldives by Taj, today. This is the first international hotel to carry Taj’s Vivanta brand.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the Vivanta Coral Reef Maldives by Taj this afternoon, President Nasheed said he rejoices the fact that one of the best and the most able investment groups and business entrepreneurships of India and the world had been introduced to the Maldives with the opening of the resort. The President said the government would welcome Indian and other international business enterprises who wish to invest in the Maldives.
In his address, President Nasheed said the government was burdened with a number of state-owned industries, which could be run privately, and provide better services and more benefits the people.
He said, through the privatisation programme, the government was looking for international investors to form joint ventures, or to operate on their own to provide electricity, transport and other utilities to the people on corporate basis.
Noting that the most private investments in the Maldives were in the tourism sector, President Nasheed reiterated his belief that investments in utilities and provision of other public services in the Maldives would be as commercially viable as the tourism sector investments.
Furthermore, the President said the government policy was to develop a model of providing public services and utilities, in which the water, electricity and sewerage systems of the resorts and inhabited islands around the resort could be combined to take the advantages of economies of scale.
President Nasheed also said that the government was mindful of the effects of climate change in planning all its developmental activities. He noted that resort developers had been at the forefront of developing adaptation measures.
