Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal has revealed that a paper outlining strategies to expand tourism across various regions of the country is being prepared for submission to the Cabinet. He made the statement during the inauguration ceremony of Travel Trade Maldives (TTM), the largest travel trade fair in the Maldives. It is scheduled to take place from August 21 to 22.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Faisal emphasised the importance of collaboration between the tourism sector and the government to enhance tourism in the Maldives. He noted that the government is currently working on initiatives to extend tourism to areas that currently lack tourism infrastructure. As such, he said that a detailed paper is being drafted for submission to the Cabinet.
Additionally, Minister Faisal revealed that a long-term plan is being developed, which will be presented to the Cabinet, focusing on tourism development over the next five to twenty years. He said that the plan will address how to introduce tourism to untouched regions of the Maldives and how to expand it across each atoll. He said that the plan includes provisions for increasing direct flights to these areas. He also noted the challenges involved in nationwide tourism expansion and emphasised the government's commitment to identifying and overcoming these obstacles, with the national airline, Maldivian, playing a key role.
Furthermore, Minister Faisal highlighted the growing number of tourists visiting the Maldives and expressed confidence that current efforts will boost this number to between 3 and 3.5 million within the next five years. He also noted an increase in tourism revenue this year and encouraged individuals in the tourism sector to collaborate and share data to further enhance the sector.