Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has announced the target is to attract two million tourist arrivals to the Maldives in 2023. He made the remarks speaking at the Reimagining Tourism: Coming Back from the Brink Seminar.
During the seminar held as part of the 55th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors 2022 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Minister Mausoom delivered a keynote speech on the tourism recovery of the Maldives. The minister said tourism accounts for 47% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Maldives. He also noted that 46% of the revenue of the state comes from tourism and it worsened the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country.
The Maldives closed international borders due to COVID-19 on March 27, 2020, and reopened the border on July 15, 2020. The minister said tourist arrivals in the first two months were low due to the closure of borders of other countries. He added that, however, the tourist arrivals have increased ever since. He highlighted the efforts made by the government to continue economic activities despite the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noting that the tourism industry has recovered by the beginning of 2021, Minister Mausoom said the real reason for the recovery is the individuals who work in the tourism industry. In addition, the minister said that the increase in the number of loyal tourists to the Maldives has helped revive the tourism industry.
Furthermore, Minister Mausoom said 10 new resorts will be opened in the Maldives this year, with three resorts already opened so far. It is estimated that 8,000 beds will be brought to operation every year from now on.
The Maldives marks the 50th anniversary of the tourism industry this year and the aim is to attract 1.6 million tourists. It is also expected to record 13 million bed nights by the end of the year. The industry has expressed confidence the target would be achieved by the end of the year. The government has targetted 4.5 million bed nights and attracting two million tourist arrivals to the Maldives in 2023.