A cruise ship carrying over 100 tourists has docked at Addu City in the southernmost Atoll of the Maldives.
The Noble Caledonia docked at Maradhoo, Addu City on Friday afternoon. The first cruise ship to visit Addu this year had arrived under the ‘Manta Trust’ agency.
Locals flocked to the harbour and the tourists were welcomed as they disembarked at Maradhoo with a variety of Maldivian cultural activities.
The tourists then went on a sightseeing tour of Addu City, including the Addu Nature Park and some other historical sites and monuments. Addu has been a regular destination for foreign cruise liners in the past. However, cruise ships have taken Addu City out of its stops after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The southernmost Addu City has been pushing to develop tourism with the “Beyond Addu” launched recently to boost the city as a tourism brand.
Under ongoing efforts to promote Addu City as a tourist destination, the Addu City Council had participated in the World Travel Market Fair held in the United Kingdom in November last year.
In addition to the city council, the government has also launched several initiatives to promote Addu City’s tourism.
With the Gan International Airport nearing completion of its upgrade project, the government has already initiated discussions with major airlines to introduce direct flights to Addu City.
In addition, the government is working on the development of Hankede to develop integrated tourism in Addu City with a deal signed in October last year to develop 560 rooms in the resort.
In a bid to encourage tourism investments, the government has leased land from designated tourism zones in Addu City, while the government has promised to provide concessional loans to develop the zones.
Developing 6,000 tourist beds in Addu City remains a presidential pledge of incumbent President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.