Minister of Tourism Abdulla Mausoom has revealed that the 27% of tourist beds are based on islands.
In a tweet, Minister Mausoom said that local tourism is developing in 118 islands consisting of 909 guesthouses with 16,300 tourist beds. He also said that the development of the travel and transport system will allow all islands to benefit from tourism. As such, he highlighted the efforts to connect more islands to the Raajje Transport Link (RTL) service and develop harbours and water and sewerage systems.
Additionally, Minister Mausoom said that citizens are now encouraged to develop local tourism and receive the benefits of community-based tourism. He noted that the government is assisting local councils and businesses to develop community-based tourism on their islands.
The government has set a goal to facilitate community-based local tourism in all inhabited islands by 2023, which is a decision that moves to integrate the culture, heritage, and ecosystems of these islands into the tourism product base, thereby allowing island communities to reap the benefits of tourism directly.