Abdulla Ghiyas appointed MMPRC chairman

Abdulla Ghiyas, President of Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), has been appointed as the chairman at the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC).

As a leading figure at MATATO, he has helped the independent non-profit organisation with activities that include advocacy, training, recognition, familiarisation trips, international trade shows, destination marketing, government lobbying, and whistle-blowing. Abdulla is a serial entrepreneur in leading travel and startup businesses such as Inner Maldives Holidays, Ace Travels Maldives, Spence Maldives, Universal Aviation Maldives, and Margaritum.

The appointment of Ghiyas comes a week after Aishath Hameed and Abdul Sameeu Imad joined the MMPRC board. They joined Maha Naseer and Aminath Vulau Mohamed Nazim as directors.

The appointments follow the designation of Ibrahim Shiuree as the new Managing Director of MMPRC in June.

The government first appointed Fathimath Thaufeeq as the Managing Director of MMPRC, but she was dismissed on May 22. The company’s chairperson, Nurain Janah, and board director, Rafil Mohamed, also resigned in May.

MMPRC, or Visit Maldives, is the government agency responsible for marketing and promoting the Maldives as a tourism destination.