The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), on Tuesday, offered its endorsement and support to the International Maldives Travel Market (IMTM), for the latter's 2020 virtual event.
The United Nations specialized agency, entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism, will support IMTM as they strive towards their common goal of restoring the tourism and travel industry to a state of resilience and sustainability in order to withhold against the ongoing strains inflicted on the industry by the global pandemic.
“The Maldives being a long time member of UNWTO, allows both parties to efficiently disseminate relevant information through their current activities to provide support to the sector”, IMTM said.
The event organisers also noted that UNWTO prioritizes improving tourism competition and sustainable tourism development among many of their other objectives, through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development, and optimal use of environmental resources.
The IMTM 2020 virtual event aims to Reconnect, Revive and Grow the travel industry by providing international buyers, including tour operators and agencies, a platform with the opportunity to conveniently connect and conduct business with local accommodation providers, such as resorts, hotels, and guest houses located in Maldives, during such strenuous times.
As with numerous countries around the world, in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Maldives closed its air and sea borders to tourist arrivals from March 27 to July 15.
The restrictions on international travel left Maldives' heavily tourism reliant economy in an extremely vulnerable state. In mid-April, the World Bank projected that Maldives would be the worst-hit economy in the South Asian region due to the pandemic.
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