Reimagining Tourism

Minister of Tourism, Abdulla Mausoom, Laamu Atoll Council President, Island Council Presidents and members, officials from the Ministry of Tourism, distinguished guests, and my UN colleagues.

Good morning and assalam’alaikum!

Thank you to everyone for joining us today, for the launching of this special project “Reimagining Tourism” by the Government in partnership with UNDP in Maldives. And thank you for your warm welcome, and hosting us in L. Fonadhoo today.

We have witnessed the severe impacts of the COVID19 pandemic and climate change, which have highlighted Maldives’ vulnerability, with international tourists as the main source of national income.

The launching of this project comes at a crucial time where we need to come together to prepare and increase our resilience for future shocks and crises. It also coincides with Maldives’ 50 years of the tourism industry in the country, which has mostly followed the one island one resort model

This  project aims to transform and diversify the tourism sector, through supporting local communities, with a special focus on women, to lead in different areas such as conservation of natural ecosystems, promoting Maldivian arts, culture, and heritage.

Further, the project aims to enhance the role of Local Councils and Women’s Development Committees in tourism planning and implementation of local tourism concepts that are sustainable business models that directly benefit our people and communities. This puts people at the centre of creating the future vision for tourism, while remaining the protective custodians of the country’s precious and fragile biodiversity and natural resources.

We believe this will be an important driver of socio-economic growth that can reduce inequalities, increase resilience, and boost local economies.

Taking into consideration the consequences of climate change on small island states like Maldives, the UN supports a shift towards sustainable tourism. For Maldives, this will be central to  achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in particular:

• Preservation and sustainability of marine life (SDG 13, 14)
• Tackling plastic waste (SDG 13, 14, 15)
• Reducing / eliminating food waste (Soneva example – SDG 2, SDG 12)

With the recent finalization of the Framework entailing UN’s efforts planned for Maldives for the next 5 years, we shift our focus from Male to engaging with local communities and strengthening our efforts to accelerate achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

I would like to thank the hardworking teams at the Ministry of Tourism, Laamu Atoll Councils and UNDP in bringing all of us here together, to kickstart this project, and wish you all the best!