President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said the government is undertaking developmental efforts to expand tourism across the nation. The president announced the decision in his speech at the ceremony held at Kurumba Maldives Resort to launch the official one-year countdown to the 50th anniversary of the tourism industry of the Maldives.
In his speech, President Solih noted peripheral developmental efforts are required for the expansion of the Maldives tourism industry. As such, the president said transport links to the islands, access to safe drinking water, proper sewerage networks, and telecommunication services must be established across the nation to expand tourism. He said the administration has made great progress in the efforts to prioritise the development of such services and reiterated the administration strives to establish water and sewerage networks in all inhabited islands by the end of 2023.
President Solih also added work is underway to establish the high-speed ferry network connecting the islands, called the Integrated National Public Ferry Network.
The president similarly underlined the efforts to provide easy access to internet services across the nation and said local tourism ventures such as guesthouses and homestays would become convenient with the development of these services. He also delineating the government's vision for a more prosperous future for the tourism sector and said future generations will benefit from the implementation of sound environmental policies that ensure sustainability and focus on climate change.
Furthermore, President Solih underscored the importance of staying on track with the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which encompasses the phase-out of single-use plastics and the country's ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.