Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has stated the administration aims to increase the percentage of locals working in the tourism sector to 55% by the end of the current presidential term.
Speaking at the Parliamentary Committee on Petitions regarding the petition submitted to empower locals working in the tourism sector, Minister Ali Waheed said the administration is undertaking several efforts to resolve the issues faced by tourism workers. In this regard, he noted the Ministry of Tourism conducted a special audit and inspection of tourism service providers in the Maldives last year. He added the audit revealed locals make up an average of 47% of workers in a resort, while the percentage of locals in some resorts were alarmingly low.
The tourism minister further said all resorts with employment violations have been asked to rectify the issues. The minister said all but one resort have begun implementing measures to increase the quota of locals working in the resorts. He added the ministry is preparing legal action against the resort which has not acted upon the orders.
Minister Ali Waheed said a circular was issued in 2012 by the government, mandating 45% of resort workers to be Maldivians. However, the minister said the current administration targets to increase the percentage to 55% by the end of the current five-year term. Noting over 9,000 workers would need to be trained to reach the target, the minister said although the target seems difficult, it is not unachievable with collective and coordinated efforts from stakeholders of the tourism industry.
The tourism minister further noted there was no database of tourism workers in the Maldives when the administration assumed office in 2018. He said a section has now been established at the ministry to oversee matters related to tourism workers.