Minister Mausoom Credits Industry Stakeholders for the Revival of Tourism in Maldives

Tourism Recovery Summit that kicked off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was a gathering of key industry players to come together and discuss common solutions and tangible actions that are important to revive the sector as it enters a new era. While over 60 speakers attended the event at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, a global audience of thousands virtually participated.  

Minister of Tourism in the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom also participated in the launching panel discussion of the summit. In his speech, he highlighted the status of the industry in the Maldives and how the nation came together to rebuild the sector, a lifeline for the country.  

Minister Mausoom’s most heartfelt gratitude was given to the industry stakeholders in the Maldives – tourism service providers, staff, establishments, public sector, government authorities – who played a collaborated role in contributing to the strategic planning in taking coordinated steps to restart the industry from the ground up. Whilst destination market was ongoing even when the national borders were closed, priority was given to making Maldives the ultimate safe haven for both guests and service providers. 

In this regard, guidelines were set and stringent safety measures were taken across all touchpoints, which led up to Maldives earning the WTTC Safe Travels stamp. Resorts and even the national gateway to the destination, the Velana International Airport, were recognized internationally for the health and safety measures taken across the entities. Moreover, a nation-wide vaccination program for staff in the tourism industry continued with speed, having vaccinated almost 99% of the staff with their first dose and more than 60% of them having completed vaccination. 

Minister concluded his statement with an invitation to all participants of the summit to visit the sunny side of life, to see the exemplary work being done by the sector in the paradisiacal destination for themselves.  

The United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, Assistant Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Princess Haifa Mohamed Bint Al Saud, and ministers from nations arround the world participated in the summit.  

On the sidelines of the summit, Minister Mausoom continues to network with the attendees and built significant relationships with global stakeholders of tourism, in efforts to promoting the industry in the Maldives. He met with Senior Vice President & Acting CEO of WTTC, Maribel Rodriguez, and discussed on possible areas of collaboration between the organization and Maldives. 
 

He also conversed with Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism of Bahrain, and Chairman of Gulf Air, His Excellency Zayed R. Alzayani. They discussed on tourism coorporation between the two destinations, and the possibility of introducing a Bahrain – Maldives dual destianation holiday for travellers from the European Region. 

Minister Mausoom further attended the opening ceremony of the UNWTO Regional Office in Riyadh, the first in the Middle Eastern Region, and congratulated Mr. Pololikashvili and Princess Haifa on this major step towards connecting the world via regional tourism corporation.  

In his meeting with Mr. Pololikashvili later, Minister Mausoom exchanged stories of the Maldives and focused the discussion on engaging UNWTO in the Maldives’ celebration of the Golden Year of Tourism, marking 50 years of the industry, to be held next year.