Malé, Maldives – Tourism Minister of Maldives Abdulla Mausoom has said that the World Tourism Day 2021 was cancelled in Addu City due to the despair of the Addu people.
The Tourism Ministry has failed to reopen the two major resorts in Addu City, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa and Canareef Resort leaving 500 youth jobless and the city in despair.
Acknowledging this, the Tourism Minister said last night that while some say that the Covid-19 situation is the reason for cancelling the World Tourism Day 2021 celebration in Addu City, the real reason is the sadness of the Addu people due to the indefinite shut down of the tourist resorts.
The [Addu City] Council requested to [cancel the celebtrations in Addu City] since there is no joy in the city and we [the Tourism Ministry] accept this whole heartedly.
Tourism Minister Mausoom
The World Tourism Day 2021 which is marked on the 27th of every September was to be celebrated in Addu City this year – a city which Tourism Minister Dr. Abdullah Mausoom forecasted would see more development in the tourism front during the upcoming years than in the last 38 years.
The Minister stated earlier this year that while 2022 will be made into the golden year of tourism in the Maldives, the year will also bring a smile onto the faces of those who work in the industry in Addu.
