President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom announced early Monday that 25 new resorts will be unveiled throughout this year.
In his Presidential Address to open the first sitting of this year’s parliament sessions, the president stated that total 20 resorts and tourist hotels had been opened over the past three years of his government. He also noted that 11 resorts in six atolls and 135 guesthouses had been launched across the archipelago in 2016.
He announced that with 25 new resorts being opened in 13 atolls along with a tourist hotel in Gaafu Alif atoll Kooddoo island this year, the number of tourist beds will increase by 5,274.
“As tourism is the most vital sector of the Maldivian economy, the government is prioritising the expansion of investments in this industry and increase state revenue.”
The statistics of the Ministry of Tourism show that the government authorised total 124 places to house tourists with 11 resorts, 11 safari cruises, 101 guesthouses and a hotel last year, thus marking 2016 as the year to unveil the most number of resorts to date.
Some of the prominent names of the newly opened resorts include St Regis Maldives Vommuli in Dhaal atoll, Soneva Jani in Noonu atoll and Four Seasons Voavah Private Island in Baa atoll.
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has vowed to open 50 new resorts over the five years’ of his government.
Meanwhile, the number of tourists to the Maldives by the end of last year had reached 1.3 million, which is an increase of 4.1 percent from 2015. However, it falls short of the 1.4 million projected by the government.
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