National Tourism Day

A new Public Holiday for This Year

A new public holiday has been added this year by president. Maldives will celebrate National Tourism Day on 03^rd October. This year mark the first Tourism day history and the golden jubilee of Maldives tourism.

President Declared The day

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih declared the day during the ceremony held to launch the official one year countdown to the golden jubilee anniversary of the Maldives tourism industry. Speaking at the ceremony the president said that the government has decided to dedicate a day as National Tourism Day tourism as we do not have a specific day to celebrate the achievements of the tourism sector.

The First Resort

The specific date was marked as attribution to the opening of the first resort in Maldives. The Kurumba Village the first resort opened in Maldives at Vihamanaafushi Island, an island 10 minutes from Velaanaa International Airport on October 3rd 1972. 50 years ago this resort became the pioneer of Maldives tourism and a turning point of Maldives economy. The resort is still in operation with its rich heritage and values.

Speaking at the ceremony the president highlighted the development of transportation and how it will improve the local tourism ventures such as guesthouses and homestays would become convenient. The president also emphasized the importance of staying on track with the ‘National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. The plan aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Furthermore, he also highlighted the contribution of tourism industry workers, especially mentioning youth and women’s involvement in the industry. There is a National Tourism day song to celebrate the 50th anniversary tourism in the Maldives. The lyrics of the song was gifted to the president.

Minister cabinet also supported the decision to make the National Tourism Day a holiday. Several programs are going on throughout the year to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of tourism in the Maldives.