Abdulla Yaasir named new head of Visit Maldives Corporation
The Privatisation and Corporatisation Board (PCB) has appointed Abdulla Yasir as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC), the state-owned company responsible for promoting the Maldives as a tourism destination.
Yasir was appointed on 26 August 2026, a day after Ibrahim Shiuree resigned as Managing Director and CEO of the corporation.
The appointment places Yasir at the helm of the country’s tourism promotion body as it continues destination marketing activities across key international markets and prepares for major promotional initiatives in the coming years.
Yasir brings more than 25 years of experience across tourism, hospitality, corporate management, investment and destination development. His career includes senior management positions in the Maldivian tourism industry, board-level experience in luxury hospitality and leadership roles in private-sector businesses.
Since 2010, he has served as Managing Director of Supersupply & Watermark, where his responsibilities have included strategic planning, business development, stakeholder engagement, corporate communications and commercial partnerships.
From 2002 to 2008, Yasir served as a Director of One&Only Kanuhura, contributing to the strategic planning and governance of the luxury tourism property.
He began his career in tourism and hospitality in 1993 and has held a number of operational and management positions, including General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Front Office Manager, Training Coordinator and Guest Relations Officer.
His wider tourism experience covers destination development, tourism promotion, feasibility assessments, market analysis and tourism investment advisory work.
Yasir has also participated in international destination development initiatives. This includes the Poros Live Project in Greece, where he contributed to destination audits, benchmarking, market assessments and strategic recommendations aimed at strengthening the destination’s tourism competitiveness.
He currently serves as President of the Entrepreneurs Association of Maldives, leading initiatives related to entrepreneurship, economic diversification and private-sector development.
Yasir holds a Master of Arts in Tourism Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Hospitality & Tourism Business Management from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
He succeeds Shiuree, who was appointed to lead the organisation in June 2024. During Shiuree’s tenure, the organisation underwent a rebranding from Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) to Visit Maldives Corporation as part of changes to the country’s destination marketing structure.
VMC is responsible for promoting the Maldives internationally and works with tourism industry stakeholders on marketing campaigns, trade fairs, roadshows, media activities, partnerships and other destination promotion programmes.
Yasir assumes the role as the Maldives prepares for Visit Maldives Year 2027, which is expected to form a major part of the country’s international tourism marketing programme. The Maldives is also set to be the Official Host Country of ITB Berlin 2027.
