Maduvvaree Island Council has revealed 50 rooms will be established on the island for homestay tourism in 2022. The council revealed the decision in a meeting with Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom.
At the meeting, the minister and councillors discussed developing local tourism on the island.
Maduvvaree is an island in Meemu Atoll with a small population that currently consists of one guesthouse. Meanwhile, Dhiggaru, Meemu Atoll is also preparing to launch local tourism with homestay tourism to be made available on the island next year.
Minister Mausoom recently visited islands in Meemu Atoll to observe the progress of homestay tourism.
Homestay tourism is a popular form of hospitality and lodging whereby tourists share a residence with a local household in the country they are travelling to. Ministry of Tourism is currently working to introduce policies and guidelines for homestay tourism in January next year.
Additionally, the diversification and localisation team of the tourism ministry are currently meeting local councils to discuss homestay tourism and gather their input in order to implement a legal framework before introducing homestay tourism.
Minister Mausoom has said homestay will benefit numerous tourism establishments including resorts, guesthouses, and liveaboards as well as ordinary citizens.
The government has been working to implement various forms of tourism in the Maldives including homestay, sports, and cultural tourism as well as meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism.