Maldives is Louis Vuitton of tourism, economic minister says

Maldives is the Louis Vuitton of tourism and no matter how jealous some people are, it cannot be taken away from Maldives, Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed said on Thursday.

Saeed was speaking at the launch of the government's Women for Tourism initiative, part of its first 100-day pledges, to increase the number of women working in the tourism industry.

Saeed said that Maldivian tourism is the brand that determines the world's top tourism trends.

“If tourism is arranged on a high street in the world, then Maldives will set the trend... Maldives will set the trend of luxury tourism,” he said.

He said Maldives' tourism industry has expanded and strengthened over the past 50 years. The quality of services provided to tourists in Maldives has also improved, he said.

"At the same time, the marketing will be strong. With it, the service will be strong. The competition will be strong too. There will be more and more jealous people," he said.

He said beach destinations were coming out to compete with Maldives but he did not believe there was any other destination that could compete with Maldives.

“... Even if not from a single city, in gastronomy, food and beverage, I don't think there is any other small island destination that can beat Maldives,” Saeed said.

This is a blessing for Maldives, he said. 50 years is a very short time to strengthen a brand and become the world's number one, he said.

“It is not an ordinary achievement to have Maldives as a brand in tourism, luxury and beach holidays like Louis Vuitton in high street shopping or Nike in sports,” Saeed said.

Saeed said the government has the vision and courage to expand the industry further.

"We have the energy. There will be competition. The waves are going to be bigger. But the courage to cross that wave will be there in the local vessels, the structure and sails. In the midst of the challenges, we will sail as and when we want to," Saeed said.

Noting the low share of women in the frontlines of the largest industry in the economy, Saeed said women working in the sector account for 0.01% of the population.

This is a challenge to promote tourism, he said.

"When tourism started in 1972, Maldives sold and offered hospitality. Women were at the forefront of doing so. Without women, Maldives' beauty would not be complete," he said.

Saeed called for the tourism sector to be women-dominated.

Saeed further explained:

According to the 2022 census, the tourism industry employs 52,482 people. They include: