Maldives post in association with the Ministry of Tourism has launched a commemorative stamp to mark the Golden Year of Tourism. The launching event was held yesterday at 4 pm at Manhattan Business Hotel. This event was attended by the Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, and the Maldives tourism pioneers. Mr, Mohamed Umar Manik, Mr. Hussain Afeef, Mr. Ahmed Naseem, and Mr, George Corbin who is the first tour operator to the Maldives.
Speaking at the ceremony Dr. Abdulla Mausoom said, “First I would like to congratulate HEP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, tourism pioneers, industry partners, employees, stakeholders, and fellow Maldivians on the occasion of 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first tourist group in the Maldives. A very significant milestone indeed. Our heartfelt appreciation to pioneers, Mr. Mohamed Umar Manik, Mr. Hussain Afeef, Mr. Ahmed Naseem, Mr. George Corbin, and the first Minister of Tourism Ahmed Mujthaba. Thank you very much for being here to grace this occasion. Your presence has made this event very memorable.
16th February 1972 is indeed a remarkable day. The day that the Maldives welcomed the first group of tourists with George Corbin. The first steps were taken by Mr. Ahmed Naseem, Mr. MU Manik, and Mr. Hussain Afeef to start tourism as an industry. An industry that transformed the Maldives. Today as we celebrate the 50th year of Tourism the significant event that led to the eventual opening of the first tourism resort, Kurumba Maldives on Vihamanaafushi on 3rd October 1972 was indeed the main milestone that officially commenced tourism in the Maldives as an industry. I would like to thank HEP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for declaring 3rd October as the National Tourism Day of Maldives. We will celebrate the first-ever Maldives National Day of Tourism on the year of the 50th Golden Jubilee of Tourism in the Maldives.
To celebrate the Golden Jubilee many more events like this are lined up. The first one is a very significant one that is happening tomorrow. The tourism upbeat The Pioneers Talk Show. I look forward to welcoming the pioneers tomorrow for this important event that will be live telecasted on PSM and other TV stations and also live-streamed.
The tourism talk show is the first of many that will be in a series. The second one in the Tourism Upbeat will look at the Role of Women in Tourism. There are many unsung women heroes who have shaped tourism. I look forward to welcoming them to the second session of this tourism upbeat talk show that will come very soon. The other events are set to take place throughout the year. One key event would be the International Tourism Conference scheduled for July. There are many cultural, environmental, educational and record-breaking events that will happen throughout the Maldives. The main event will start on tourism week with International Tourism Day on 27th September ending up with a climax on 3rd October, the Maldives National Tourism Day special celebrations. I invite everybody in Maldives and Internationally who is related to the industry to plug into the Maldives Golden Jubilee event calendar”
In his speech Mr. Ahmed Shafeeq said “A while ago the commemorative stamp dedicated 50th year of tourism in the Maldives has been unveiled. On behalf of the board of directors and the management of Maldives Post, I take this opportunity to extend our heartiest gratitude to our honorary guests for blessing this function with your presence. We are delighted to have you in this function as the pioneers of Maldivian Tourism and your valuable contribution to the industry and the economy will always be remembered wholeheartedly by all Maldivians.
The postal stamps constitute a great source of history for all, for their importance in our country and also in the world. Postal stamps do reflect the history of a country. These miniatures write history in its shortest form with depictions and captions representing the faces of socio-economic development in a country. Several stamps related to Maldives tourism had been issued in the past but this is the first such collection of stamps in which the faces of development of tourism in the Maldives had been shown through. It appears that it is a set of stamps and it carries the story of fifty years of tourism in the Maldives. Their depictions and captions may be found in the limit, but the story is carried through is massive”
Mr. Shafeeq concluded his speech thanking Dr. Abdulla Mausoom for passionately taking interest in bringing the stamp set into being.
The stamp set is available at the E-Tukuri online platform where all the postal products are sold. All orders will be delivered nationwide and worldwide.
