This year's "Maldives Expo" commenced today with thousands of Maldivian products.

The expo, held at Hulhumalé Central Park to showcase the craftsmanship and artistry of producers and artisans in one place, was officially opened tonight at a special ceremony held there by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and the First Lady.

To open the expo, the President and First Lady visited individual stalls, met with artisans, and observed their work.

Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed, and various senior government officials participated in the ceremony.

According to the Business Center Corporation (BCC), which organizes the Maldives Expo, 419 parties entered 4,404 products in this year's expo. That is an 84 percent increase compared to last year.

Among the participants this year, the majority were private individuals. That includes 321 individual participants, 75 businesses, and 16 persons with special needs. Educational sector institutions, NGOs, and state-owned enterprise companies also participated in this expo.

In this expo, which is conducted across 16 sectors comprising 73 categories, the highest number of products came from the traditional Maldivian handicraft sector, totaling 1,695 products.

The second highest number of products came from the creative arts and design sector, totaling 920 products. Additionally, a large number of products were entered in the expo across food, jewelry, fashion, literature, fisheries, ICT, transport, and renewable energy sectors.

To display the products entered in the expo, seven districts were also created in Central Park this year:

This year's Maldives Expo runs from today through the second of next month. Starting tomorrow, the expo will be open to the public every day from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM.