TOURISM

Tourism: About - Maldives



Tourism: About - Maldives

According to Webster's Dictionary the definition of a tourist is "a person who is traveling or visiting a place for recreation" (726). This is however not always the case. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry in this developing country; it has a wide range of activities to offer. However, there are unforeseen events that take place in Maldives that every tourist should be aware of.

Rapid environmental changes are easy to see nowadays when we inquire into the influences of tourism which involve human activities on a large scale, such as transportation, accommodation, food services, and retail activities. In other words, tourism can either damage or benefit the natural environment. However, natural conditions are the basis for most forms of tourism (Stephen F. Witt Lui Moutinho 1994) and its impacts may also alter the attractive features of a site. In a word, good quality of natural environment is an asset to tourism, but could be damaged by inappropriate tourist activities.

The natural environment, which is an important attraction for tourists (Orams M.B in Vickerman, 1995), offers precious resources with their positive effects on tourism. In the case of Hawaii, for example, there are active volcanoes, lava flows, tropical rain forests, beautiful beaches, sugar cane fields, pineapple plantations and historic sites. These natural resources attract about 7 million tourists each year (http://www.usatourist.com)

The Republic of Maldives is a small island consisting of 26 coral atolls dominated by sea and is situated in the Indian Ocean. There are totally 1,190 small islands of which only 202 are inhabited and in them only 87 are exclusive resort islands. The capital of Maldives is Male (www.mladiye.com).

The Maldives economy has been growing at an annual average of 10% for the past two decades. Tourism is the main industry, contributing close to 20% of the GDP. Fisheries and trade follow close behind. The Maldivian economy is regarded as exemplary in the region and welcomes foreign investment.

The attraction sites of Maldives for tourist includes, Safaris to number or uninhabited islands, Diving and water based activities like scuba diving, fishing, surfing. Yachting etc.

The tourism development in Maldives is based on the principle of isolation of tourists from the bulk of the indigenous population and the physical configuration of tourism development. The tourism industry is synonymous with resort islands and each resort occupies a separate island and is totally self contained. According to the tourist opinion survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism, the main attractions are the white sandy beaches, opportunities for snorkeling and scuba diving, sunny weather clear lagoons and scenic peaceful environments. The tourists come with the expectation of a Robinson Crusoe existence.

Despite the great potential for the development of tourism, the Maldives is still a young tourist destination. The first resort was developed in 1972, in an uninhabited island near Male'. The resort, known as Kurumba Village, had accommodation for only 60 guests. The second resort was Bandos, with about 280 beds. The services in the two resorts were quite ...