Tourism Minister Moosa Zameer has said that while Maldives is extensively developing the tourism sector in the country, it has been carried out without taxing tourists.
Speaking to international CNBC, Minister Zameer said that Maldives currently caters to a maximum of 1.5 million tourists. He added that he was confident that the country can reach the targeted 1.5 million tourists easily.
Minister Zameer further said that Maldives can bring in around 7.5 million tourists and given the expansion of the Airport this can be a reality. He added that the project is financed by loans and aid from financial institutions such as Exim Bank, noting that the cost of development will not be passed to tourists.
He also said that the decrease of tourists was due to a sluggish global economy, the conflicts in the Middle East and the Paris attacks, and not due to any internal issues.
When asked whether the State of Emergency declared on November in Maldives had any effect on tourism, he answered that there was no difference between tourist arrivals in the Middle East and Central Europe after the declaration was given.
Tourists not taxed for tourism development: Zameer
