President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said that work will soon begin in atolls with the lowest levels of tourism, with the aim of increasing bed capacity and creating more employment opportunities for local communities. He made the remarks at the ‘Rayyithunnaa Eku Kuriah – Hafthaa 104’ function held at the Youth Centre to mark the administration’s second anniversary, where he spoke alongside First Lady Sajidha Mohamed.
The President noted that 6,223 tourism beds have been registered so far as part of nationwide efforts to expand the sector. He also highlighted that development work has begun in HDh. Naagoashi to introduce tourism to atolls that currently have limited industry activity.
Speaking about Addu City, the President said that the owners of Shangri-La have expressed their intention to reopen the resort before the end of this year. He added that the agreement for the Asseyri Tourism project has been finalised and that the investor for the Hankede project is expected to settle the lease acquisition cost and sign the agreement soon. According to the President, government incentives to broaden tourism across the country have led to multiple bids from interested parties, several of which are in progress.
In his remarks on the fisheries sector, the President said that work has focused on addressing longstanding issues faced by fishermen. He stated that a number of ice plants have been repaired, new facilities have opened on four islands, and construction is underway on six further sites. He also noted that Refrigerated Sea Water systems have been installed on many vessels through loan schemes, with the Bank of Maldives making additional financing options available.
Cold storage capacity, which was at 9,500 tonnes at the beginning of the current term, is projected to reach 24,500 tonnes by the end of the five-year period, he said. The President also referenced ongoing development at GA. Kooddoo and stated that the administration has cleared over MVR 200 million in outstanding payments to fishermen inherited from the previous government. Since December 2024, he said, payments have been issued regularly. He added that the State Trading Organisation has committed to establishing fuel skids by the end of March 2026 on all islands previously announced.
The event was attended by Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Speaker of Parliament Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Members of Parliament, Cabinet Ministers, state dignitaries and senior government officials.
