Sunday is the World Tourism Day. 2016 has been declared as the Visit Maldives Year, with the Government aiming to bring in at least 1.5 million tourists.
To actualize this target, Maldivian Government and tourism sector stakeholders have instated various campaigns to bring in more tourist arrivals.
Indian and Chinese tourists have increased in the past few years, with Chinese arrivals raking in big revenues to the sector. Maldives is the preferred destination for Bollywood stars and personalities.
However, industry personnel have raised concerns over the almost insignificant number of middle class tourists, especially from India. One of the key concerns raised by mid-level tourists is the price factor of an average resort.
However, with the opening of guesthouses this issue has been partly rectified.
Another cause for concern amongst Indian tourists is the lack of vegetarian fare available in such guesthouses, which is a key concern for most tourists when making their reservations.
It would not be cost effective to employ a chef catering to taste of every nation. However, it would be cost effective to train local chefs beforehand to cater to such palates.
There is an acute shortage of trained local personnel filling positions in Maldivian resorts. A large number of highly paid resort personnel are foreign, given the lack of proper training when the sector first expanded.
This becomes more evident, when we take into account the number of Maldivians who have adopted vegetarian food, which has contributed to the rise in demand for such chefs.