Tourism growth and telecom development closely linked, Dhiraagu CEO says

The development of Maldives tourism and the services provided by telecommunications companies such as Dhiraagu are closely linked, the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, Valdemar Ferradaz, has said.

Speaking at the Hotelier Maldives General Managers (GM) Forum 2026 at CROSSROADS Maldives on Monday, Ferradaz highlighted the role Dhiraagu has played in developing the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and said technology would remain important to the future of tourism.

Ferradaz, who took over as Dhiraagu CEO about three months ago, said he had considered how the Maldivian economy would function without tourism and, similarly, the role companies such as Dhiraagu play in supporting economic activity.

“You can see how closely these two sectors — tourism and telecommunications — are connected,” Ferradaz said. “There is a close relationship between the development of tourism, which represents an important part of the Maldivian economy, and the role of telecommunications.”

He said the Maldives tourism industry had established standards recognised internationally and continued to provide services sought by travellers.

Having worked in different parts of the world, Ferradaz said his experience with infrastructure in other countries had also helped him identify some of the challenges facing the Maldives since joining Dhiraagu.

With the tourism industry competing globally, Ferradaz said access to new technology and innovation was necessary. However, he said keeping pace with rapidly developing technology required collaboration.

“This is not something that can be done alone. To compete in technology, you need strong partners who can work together,” he said. “For us as a service provider, and for customers receiving those services, this is not something that can be done alone.”

Ferradaz said customers, partners and teams working together today were building the infrastructure that would be required in the future.

He also highlighted increasing data consumption and the resulting need to expand capacity, saying businesses could no longer depend solely on conventional infrastructure.

Cloud technology and large data centres require substantial investment and energy, he said, while such infrastructure is increasingly important for protecting data and commercially sensitive information.

Ferradaz said Dhiraagu planned to continue investing in data centres and cloud technology. He pointed to the company’s Tier IV, TIA and ISO-certified data centre infrastructure, saying such facilities were intended to meet international standards.

“For the Maldivian economy, particularly industries such as tourism, this infrastructure is important because businesses need speed, convenience and reliable systems to interact with every part of the world,” he said.

Ferradaz said investment on this scale could not be undertaken in isolation, adding that Dhiraagu had begun working with international partners and technology companies.

He said the company was also training employees as technology develops, while acknowledging the challenge of preparing a workforce capable of working with artificial intelligence.

“This is a period with many opportunities,” Ferradaz said. “The balance between people and technology is now being established. This technology is powerful, fast and exciting. We need to understand it and learn how to use it.”

Ferradaz also addressed the impact of technology on human interaction, saying greater use of technology could weaken emotional connections between people if it was not managed carefully.

He said businesses should therefore strengthen human interaction between employees and customers while developing the skills of their workforce to use new technology.

“If we do not do that, people may become afraid of technology and hesitate to adopt it,” he said.

Ferradaz said the challenge for businesses, including those in tourism and telecommunications, would be to adopt new technology while retaining the human relationships that remain important to customer service.

Established in 2016, the Hotelier Maldives GM Forum provides an annual platform for hospitality leaders and businesses serving the tourism sector to exchange perspectives on operational and strategic issues. The 2026 gathering marked the forum’s 10th edition.

A range of companies supporting different areas of the tourism industry partnered with GM Forum 2026.

Dhiraagu was the Premier Sponsor, while STO Energy was the Platinum Sponsor. Bank of Maldives (BML) was the Banking Partner, Dhivehi Insurance was the Insurance Partner, and Male’ Aerated Water Company (MAWC) was the Beverage Partner.

The Silver Sponsors were Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), Villa Hakatha, Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) and Atoll Solar.

ALIA, Uniforms Unlimited, Maldives Insider and Blue N White supported the forum as Associate Sponsors.

Souvenir Marine was the Transport Partner, Manta Air was the Aviation Partner, and Storm Events was the Organising Partner.

Through its 2026 programme and partnerships, the GM Forum brought together resort leadership and the businesses supporting hospitality operations to examine how the sector can strengthen resilience while adapting its people, technology and operating models.