CEO of SIMDI, Dr. Mariyam Shakeela has said that to ensure the Maldives is a safe destination for tourists, technology must be embraced even more than it is being used now.

Speaking at the “Restart Asian Economy: Ideas and Actions of the Hotel Industry” webinar organized by FNF South Asia, Dr. Shakeela, who has previously served as the Health Minister as well, said that the largest industry in the Maldives, tourism, have been severely affected by COVID-19 and to recover, the Maldives needs tourists to visit the country and stabilize the numbers of tourists visiting the country.

Dr. Shakeela said that the government alone cannot achieve anything requires the aid from the public and failing to do so will have the biggest impact on the people, not the government.

She said that for the Maldivian tourism industry to recover, everyone needs to aim towards the same goals.

The former Health Minister said that the fact that the Maldives consists of individual islands makes it one of the safest destinations for tourists. However, to bring in tourists, the country needs to invest in health and technology.

She said that the resorts needs to be more acquainted with technology that would improve their services.

At the webinar, Dr. Shakeela said political and personal gain must be set aside to overcome the effects of COVID-19 and the private sector must assist the government in their efforts move past the pandemic.