Male’, Maldives, 29th June 2022 – Minister of Tourism of the Maldives participated as a Speaker at the World Tourism Industry Conference (WTIC) 2022 held in Ulsan City, South Korea from 24th to 25th June 2022. Held in collaboration with the 37th Seoul International Tourism Industry Fair (SITIF) 2022, the World Tourism Industry Conference was hosted by UNWTO, International Tourism Forum (ITF) and Ulsan Metropolitan City. It was organized by Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) and Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA).
Ministers and Deputy Ministers from different countries as well as leading members of the tourism industry were in attendance at the conference, witnessing the signing ceremony by Heads of each Delegation for an MOU pledging their commitment to eco-tourism.
The Maldives Minister of Tourism, Dr. Adbulla Mausoom, delivered a speech during this conference on 25th June. His speech emphasized on the importance of safety and protection in tourism as well as the significance of the recovery measures the Maldives tourism industry took to overcome the detrimental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the Minister thanked the President of the Maldives, His Excellency Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, for playing a pivotal role in reviving the Maldivian Tourism Industry. The President led discussions and consultations with various departments such as tourism industry professionals including investors, the health sector and other related sectors in order to identify the key areas of concern and progressive measures to improve them. Such initiative and involvement were key in revitalizing the tourism industry following the pandemic.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of community-based eco-tourism during his speech. This is in line with the Tourism Ministry’s efforts to promote community-based tourism as seen during the UNWTO Global Summit 2022. The Summit was held in the Maldives from 15th to 16th June and its thematic session was dedicated to discussing community-based tourism. The Maldives tourism industry aims to lead initiatives in eco-tourism moving forward.
In addition to the Minister, other officials such as Song Cheol-ho, Ulsan City’s Mayor; Yoo Jin Young, Chairman of International Tourism Forum (ITF), and Harry Hwang, UNWTO’s Deputy Director for the Asia Pacific Region, also gave speeches during the Opening Ceremony of the World Tourism Industry Conference.
