Tourism as a whole is regarded in Sharply n Telfer, 2002 as,
‘Tourism, frequently referred to as ‘the world’s largest industry’, is big business.’
The Republic of Maldives or Dhivehi Rajje’, (the land of the Dhivehi people) is a nation of islands looping the equator, at the centre of the Indian Ocean. It is a natural paradise, a world of intensely simple beauty, a place that will captivate the mind and rest the human spirit. The Maldives is that sort of place fascinating for some, frustrating for others.
When the very first airport was made in “Hulhule”, some U.N experts arrived Maldives to look into the feasibility of tourism in Maldives. U.N experts concluded in 1966 that there was no future for tourism in the country. Then in 1971 Geoge Corbin, an Italian interested about Maldives met with a Maldivian named Ahmed Naseem .Their efforts resulted the arrival of first tourist groups to Maldives. Now Maldives is a renowned tourist destination world-wide, entered the tourism industry with very humble beginnings in the 1970s
Tourism is the largest economic industry in the country, since it plays a vital role in earning foreign exchanges to the country. Even though some disadvantages are there in tourism, there also happens to have wide range of advantages to it. It opens a market for traditional handicrafts and this provides the islanders with a suitable wage to get-by. It also provides numerous job opportunities to the Maldivians who work in this particular industry directly and indirectly. Like the people working in islands. The archipelago of the Maldives is the one basis as to why many tourists are attracted to visit the Maldives.
For its natural glory, Maldives has been known and talked about in different parts of the world. Its emerald green specks enveloped by alluring turquoise waters like scattered beads in the ocean white powdery beaches, tall palms lean on towards the sea, crystalline white sands giving way to crystal clear waters, shades of turquoise blend flawlessly with deeper hues of blue pristine coral reefs and some of the most incredible underwater life on our planet.
This natural beautifulness rising from the deep blue of the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean made it a better place to relax and enjoy your self than the romantic dunes that adorn these islands.
A tourist resort in the Maldives consists of an exclusive hotel on its own island, with its population entirely based on tourists and work force, with no local people or houses. As some sources says the tourism based islands scale approximately 800 by 200 meters. The reefs allow the tourists to enjoy the under water beauty and it gives them the chance of experiencing snorkeling activities. It also enables them to go on scuba diving.
The buildings on a typical resort includes suites and rooms reserved for use by its guests, restaurants, coffee shops, shops, lounges, bars, discos and diving schools. A portion of the island also contains staff lodgings and support services such as catering, power generators, laundry, and a sewage plant. On-island shops offer a wide range of products, such as souvenirs and artifacts. Even the activities like volleyball, table tennis and aerobics in its best practice is being offered in the Maldives. Huge amount of work is done by the resort owners to meet the modern tourism needs and to see that Maldivian is still a great destination. In the year 1997, government organized a slogan and declared this year to be visiting year. This campaign brought many tourists to the Maldives.
Ecotourism is being promoted in the Maldives by many of its tourist resorts. One of the best examples where this kind of tourism is initiated is the Soneva Gili. In fact, Furthermore, the government aims to conserve the natural beauty of the islands before they are being altered into resorts by enforcing laws such as prohibition of catching turtles and reduction in the damages caused to the coral reefs.
As it happens everything has its pros and cons to it, there are few notable incidents where tourism industry turns to be a bit controversial. The gravest problem is this allows liquor items to be spread among locals. This has bad influence on the lifestyle of the society and this alters the customs bit by bit. Another negative impact is on fishing, which is the very traditional industry in the Maldives. Fewer youths are interested in fishing activities.
