Maldives to channel tourism revenue into destination marketing

President Mohamed Muizzu has decided to allocate a portion of tourism tax revenue to promote tourism in the Maldives, Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal announced on Saturday.

Speaking on Sangu TV, Faisal highlighted that the primary challenge in promoting Maldivian tourism has been the insufficient budget. However, after discussions with President Muizzu, the president has decided to address these budget constraints.

Faisal noted that tourism is the state’s largest source of income and stated: “A certain percentage of the annual revenue from the green tax or Tourism-Goods and Services Tax (T-GST) will be dedicated to tourism promotion.”

“With this change, I expect the MMPRC to receive a budget of around $20-25 million (MVR 307-383 million) for marketing and promotional activities next year.”

He mentioned that the MMPRC and the tourism ministry will jointly conduct special activities to promote tourism in new markets.

The minister also said that the results of the MMPRC’s efforts to promote Maldivian tourism will be evident within the next eight months.

This year’s budget has allocated MVR 154.2 million for advertising the country. Budget constraints have hindered participation in some fairs and tourism promotion activities.