The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) concluded the second edition of the MATI Member Forum today. This event was held at H. Meerumaa, Malé, and witnessed the attendance of senior government officials and members of MATI.
The senior governmental officials in attendance included the Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Hon. Thoriq Ibrahim; the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Hon. Mohamed Saeed; the Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development, Hon. Dr Maryam Mariya; and the Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Tourism.
The key thematic areas of the second edition of the MATI Member Forum centred around challenges in employment within the resort sector and strategies for mitigating the impact of severe weather events and climate change-related risks. The Utility Regulatory Authority (URA) shared its rationale on Detail Design Reports concerning water and sewage, electricity, and waste management systems for existing resorts. Additionally, updates on the progress of the new Velana International Airport Terminal were provided by the Maldives Airports Company Limited.
The Forum concluded with remarks and a brief presentation on the performance of the Tourism Industry by the Secretary-General of MATI, Mr. Ahmed Nazeer. He emphasised the significance of such events, where key stakeholders convene to discuss urgent issues and challenges faced by the tourism industry and to exchange experiences and knowledge. He also called for greater collective efforts to find meaningful solutions to these challenges in collaboration with governmental agencies. Regarding the performance of the Tourism Industry, he expressed concerns over the increasing number of unutilised beds, leading to declining occupancy levels.
