White sandy beaches, clear waters, and waving palms under blue skies make Maldives a tourist destination. Tourism was introduced to the Maldives in the early 1970s. The first two resort Island had a capacity of 280 beds. The first tourist arrived mostly as individuals or small groups. Soon, Maldives began to be recognized as an international tourist destination.
In 1972 the first tourist resort, Kurumba Village, (today a five star hotel), was pioneered by two Maldivian entrepreneurs in association with an Italian investor. A second resort was opened the same year on the island of Bandos. Despite the basic facilities and services, 1,096 tourist arrivals were recorded that year.
At the start, the country's tourism and its development was for the most part dependent on private initiative. In 1979, the tourism law was enacted, requiring all foreign investments to be registered at the Department of Tourism and Foreign Investment. A tourism master plan was formulated in 1983, setting up guidelines for the overall development of tourism, and identifying tourism zones in different parts of the country. In 1984, the tourism advisory board was created. the department of tourism was upgraded to a ministry in 1988.
The opening of Male' International Airport in 1981 was an important milestone in the travel business. At the early stages, tourism in Maldives was a seasonal industry. As the country opened up further, this seasonal nature of tourism changed. In the early 21st century tourist arrivals were recorded throughout the year. During 1987, a school of hotel and catering was established to meet the manpower requirements of the industry. both government and private sector provide overseas training to those employed in the industry.
The private sector and the government are actively involved in the promotion and marketing of the tourism product. Maldives is represented in all major international travel fairs by both the government and the private operators. The tourist information counter at the Male' International Airport hands out leaflets and other information about the country. The Tourist Information Unit was formed in 1989 to further disseminate information.
The development of tourism has fostered the overall growth of the country's economy. It has created direct and indirect employment and income generation opportunities in other related industries. Today, tourism is the country's biggest foreign exchange earner, contributing nearly a fifth of the GDP.
(by: Current awareness services unit)
Today, more than 900,000 tourists visit the Maldives each year. Former president Ibrahim Nasir, introduced tourism in Maldives.
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