Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has stated that other countries want to know how the Maldives succeeded in recovering its tourism sector to pre-pandemic levels. He made the remarks to journalists after attending the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ministerial Roundtable on Tourism Resilience through Innovation and Digitalisation in Asia and the Pacific held at CROSSROADS Maldives.
Speaking to journalists, Minister Mausoom said countries have been looking to the Maldives for ideas on economic recovery and that many senior government officials at the event have been asking questions about the policies being implemented in the Maldives that have allowed the country to succeed in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the Maldives has set a benchmark in leadership for other countries, especially in the tourism sector, which will provide more opportunities for the Maldives.
Ministers from the governments of Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan have participated in the UNWTO roundtable discussion. At the event, Secretary-General of UNWTO Zurab Pololikashvili highlighted the importance of countries working together to help each other overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and develop the tourism sector.
The UNWTO Ministerial Roundtable on Tourism Resilience through Innovation and Digitalisation in Asia and the Pacific was held on June 15. UNWTO also held the 34th Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia at CROSSROADS Maldives as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Maldives tourism industry.