Maldives to allocate tourism revenue for destination promotion

President Mohamed Muizzu has decided to allocate a certain percentage of tourism tax revenue to promote tourism in Maldives, tourism minister Ibrahim Faisal said Saturday.

Speaking on Sangu TV, Faisal said the biggest obstacle to promoting Maldives' tourism is the lack of budget allocated to promote tourism. However, after discussions with President Muizzu, the president has now decided to address the budget constraints to promote tourism, he said.

Noting that tourism is the biggest source of income for the state, Faisal said:

“With this change, I expect the MMPRC to receive a budget of around $20-25 million (MVR 307-383 million) for marketing and promotional activities next year,” Faisal said.

He said the MMPRC and the tourism ministry will jointly conduct special activities to promote tourism in new markets.

The minister said the results of the MMPRC's efforts to promote Maldives' tourism will be seen within the next eight months.

The budget for this year has allocated MVR 154.2 million for advertising the country. The budget constraints have hampered participation in some fairs and tourism promotion.