Abdulla Giyas Riyaz has been elected as the President of the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO). He replaces Abdulla Suood as president for the new term.
Giyas was elected at MATATO’s annual general meeting (AGM) held on June 4. He had previously served as the president of the association and most recently served as the vice president.
Speaking at the AGM, President Giyas highlighted the challenges faced by MATATO and its upcoming work, saying that the association will prioritise improving its financial status. He also said more appreciation should be shown to local travel agents who contributed to the development of tourism in the past 50 years. He detailed that MATATO had surveyed the level of contribution provided by local travel agencies, which showed that they contribute to 25% of tourist arrivals.
The vice presidents and board members were also elected at the AGM. As such, Mohamed Haleel and Mohamed Shaaz were elected as vice presidents for the next four-year term. Additionally, members of MATATO highlighted the various challenges they faced in the past two years following the COVID-19 pandemic, and announced plans to recover from their current situation.