Sodiq told Haveeru that many people would visit Addu for the SAARC Summit as it coincides with the Eid holidays. Most of the 700 invitees will, however, depart after the opening ceremony, he added. "Around 150 invitees will remain for the summit's closing ceremony and banquet," he said. The mayor noted that providing necessary services especially food and accommodation for the expected influx of people is a huge challenge the city faces. Sodiq noted that the council had met with all the restaurant owners in Addu in order to find ways to accommodate the invitees to the summit. "We're requesting that even if a house has three rooms, one room be vacated for an invitee if necessary. We've made a list of the houses and their prices as well. Accommodation will prove to be a huge challenge," he said. The Mayor said discussions are being held with major food suppliers such as the State Trading Organisation (STO) and Happy Market to prevent any food shortages during the summit. "Already there are a lot of people here to aid the construction work and we sometimes run out of certain commodities. Last week we ran out eggs and we're trying to restock," he said. He also revealed plans of bringing a passenger line with the capacity of 200 people to prevent any accommodation issues. "We're trying to bring the passenger line under the ownership of the Maldives Association for Travel Agents and Tour Operators. That's the role they will be playing in the summit," he added.