The Government of Maldives has announced it has issued over USD 6.24 million in loans in the first year to develop the tourism sector.
Significant work have been done to promote and develop tourism within the first year of the administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, according to statistics publicised by Ministry of Tourism.
The government explained a major share of the loans was issued to develop guest houses as local tourism is currently expanding in inhabited islands. The expansion of local tourism in the islands benefits the people directly from the income the tourism sector generates.
About USD 6 million were issued to develop guesthouses which saw the development of 90 new guesthouses, creating 1,336 new tourist beds in local islands during the first year of the new administration, according to publicised information from the government. The new guest houses created 518 job opportunities for people.
The Tourism Ministry also held a guest house symposium to identify concerns and areas for development in its bid to develop the sector. The ministry also conducted inspection of all tourist facilities to better the services received by tourists.
Statistics indicates a registered total of 553 guesthouses in Maldives of which all except one are currently in operation. The total number of beds registered in guest houses amounts to 9,093.
The biggest achievement the sector saw in 2019 is meeting the target it set to bring 1.5 million visitors to Maldives. It is now expected the amount to reach 1.6 million by the end of the year.