The Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MoTE) has stated that work related to Visit Maldives Year has already begun.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has officially designated 2027 as "Visit Maldives Year," during the Presidential Address at the Pairliament’s opening sitting, signalling the start of a transformative national campaign aimed at elevating the Maldives' tourism sector to unprecedented heights.
Delivering the 2026 Presidential Address, The President revealed that the government aims to bring in 2.5 million tourists this year. The President emphasised that promoting the nation’s tourism sector should be a unified national endeavor, bringing in all local stakeholders to work together on this objective.
Speaking on a PSM News Programme, The State Minister for the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Dr Abdulla Niyaz said Visit Maldives Year will be celebrated in conjunction to the 55 year anniversary to Maldives’ tourism sector. And this initiative symbolises the priority given by the President to the tourism sector, he added.
He revealed that preparatory work has already commenced with this special endeavor. As such, a special committee has been established and its work has begun, State Minister Dr Niyaz said.
The Committee comprises of the following stakeholders: The Ministry of Tourism and Environment (MoTE), Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC), Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), Island Aviation Services Ltd (IASL), Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), National Boating Association of Maldives (NBAM) and Maldives Association of Travel Agents & Tour Operators. (MATATO)
Part of the work for the committee includes branding work related to Visit Maldives Year, which has officially commenced.
The state minister said, as per the President’s directive, all tourism sector stakeholders will be involved in the branding work. These include island level guesthouses and island councils, as part of the campaign, he divulged.
Increasing the revenue generated from the tourism sector is a key objective of the government. As per Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) publication, last year alone Maldives generated USD 5.5 million from the tourism sector. The government aims to generate USD 6 billion from the tourism sector.