Maldives, amidst polls, to present new 5-year tourism plan later this month
View(s):The Maldives is presenting a new, 5-year tourism master plan later this month but its focus may change depending on presidential elections in which opposition candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed is tipped to win.
At the first round of elections on Saturday in which the winner must get over 50 per cent of the votes, Mr. Nasheed won 45 per cent of the poll – short of victory – while incumbent President Mohamed Waheed secured just 5 per cent of the vote. Under Maldivian rules, a second round contest will be held on September 28 between Mr. Nasheed and Gasim Ibrahim, who came second with 24 per cent of the vote.
The 5-year plan is due to be presented on September 27 to coincide with World Tourism Day, a day before the second round poll.
Mr. Nasheed has been campaigning for a minimum wage for hotel workers and promotion of more guest houses run by Maldivians than creating new, large resorts operated by foreigners.
The minimum wage proposal is not in the new master plan.
The country’s fourth 5-year master plan focuses attention on more road-shows than trade shows, increased arrivals and spending an average of US$5-US$6 per arrival on promotion and marketing.
The country’s fourth 5-year tourism master plan for 2013-2017 will be launched on September 27 to coincide with this year’s World Tourism Day, according to Ahmed Salih, Secretary at the Tourism Ministry.
According to a draft copy of the report available on the Tourism Ministry website, the proposed master plan, unlike previous ones, will articulate a 5-year strategic agenda and action plan agreed by both public and private players in the industry. The public and private sectors which were jointly responsible for its preparation will play the same role in its implementation.
Sim Ibrahim Mohamed, former Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI, said a lot of focus is being given to infrastructure development. “But there are also other dimensions in tourism that are not in the plan like the proposal by former President Mohamed Nasheed for a minimum wage in the industry,” he said.
He said another issue that is being raised is the need for more guest houses run by Maldivians, which would create more opportunities for locals, compared to promoting large scale resorts run by foreigners.
The demand for more Maldivians to be recruited at mid and upper management levels is being addressed in the plan which aims to increase the local staff ratio to 50 per cent from 45 per cent. “There is a demand to increase the number of Maldivians in positions of supervisor and above,” Mr. Mohamed said.
The 5-year plan aims to maintain 10 per cent annual growth in arrivals by increasing the number to 1.6 million in 2017 from a current 1 million; increase the average stay of tourists to 7.2 days from 6.8 days; increase operational tourist bed capacity to 35,500 beds from 25,000; increase average occupancy rates to 85 per cent from 73 per cent and double bed-nights to 12 million from 6.5 million at an average annual growth of 10 per cent.
China is the biggest tourism source market for the Maldives followed by France and the UK.
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