President-Elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has assured that the development project at the Maldives' primary international airport, Velana International Airport (VIA), will be completed in time for the peak tourism season next year. This announcement was made during a ceremony held to inaugurate the Resort General Managers' Forum on Thursday.
Speaking at the event at Bandos Maldives Resort, Dr. Muizzu expressed his commitment to overcoming the delays in the VIA project's completion, emphasizing that the delays are a concern shared by all stakeholders in the tourism sector. He acknowledged the collaborative efforts of various entities in the tourism industry, including employees, resort owners, local travel agencies, guesthouses, and the broader industry, in contributing to the development of the Maldives' tourism sector.
Dr. Muizzu also shared some of the tourism-related goals outlined in his presidential manifesto and reaffirmed his intention to collaborate with all stakeholders in the tourism sector for its continued development.
“We will work with all those involved in the tourism sector to develop the sector in the coming days,” he said.
During his presidential campaign, Dr. Muizzu promised to introduce a retirement pension scheme for tourism workers and to provide them with flats under the government’s social housing scheme.
