Malé, Maldives – Minister of Tourism Dr Abdullah Mausoom has stated that homestay tourism will benefit Maldivians.
In a tweet earlier today, the Minister said that resorts, hotels, safaris and the general public would profit from homestay tourism and that in Malaysia- a country with a large muslim population and distinctive customs, homestay tourism has been successful.
What’s important is to do this [homestay tourism] with solid enforceable regulations.
Minister of Tourism Abdullah Mausoom
Minister Mausoom’s tweet comes while the Guesthouse Association of Maldives (GAM) had noted that this is not the best time to introduce homestay tourism.
GAM had told that during a time when assistance from the government is essential for the tourism sector to recover from the damage it has sustained due to Covid-19 pandemic that it was not advisable for the government to start this initiative.
While Tourism Ministry has started with discussions to begin homestay tourism, the GAM, in a statement has claimed that while homestay tourism is important to expand local tourism, it is important to contemplate whether this is the best time to launch homestays.
They added that while many houses are built to accommodate multiple households, homestay tourism has the potential to cause domestic issues and considering the country’s current state, that GAM is concerned about the safety of both homestay tourists and residents of these households getting compromised.
The GAM said that, without finding solutions for such issues, and without studying the extent of revenue increases or possible downsides, starting homestay tourism may tarnish the Maldives’ reputation as a high end tourism destination and may result in the country being labelled as unsafe.
The Association went on to state that tourism workers do not want to see the country to transform into a country known for low quality services.
