Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
55
ensured their privacy. Looking at other destinations in the world, the beaches are often crowded,
if not, privacy is not ensured for a traveling couple as the beaches are public.
The guesthouses component is an addition to the destination’s portfolio in an effort to diversify
and attract tourists. Maldives was previously famous as a diving destination, but many of the
hotels have been winning international awards and are being recognized for their world-class
service spas. In terms of product diversification, it is evident that the country has significantly
expanded. Service-wise, Maldives has improved remarkably. Most establishments offer a
selection of cuisine at the resort, ranging from gourmet to Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, and
Thai as well. Maldives is doing great as a destination, product and service wise.
In terms of quality of life of the local community, Maldives had a very low level of interaction
between tourists and locals as many of the visitors preferred the additional privacy. For tourists
who wished to interact with the locals, resorts offered day trips to nearby islands. With the
inception of guesthouse tourism, more locals were hired by the industry, improving the
interaction and benefits to the local community. With the development of the industry, many
locals have professionally progressed due to the trainings provided by the resorts.
Stakeholder Engagement
The Tourism Master Plan was developed through consultations with public and private sector
stakeholders through meetings and stakeholder workshops. The government has also
cooperated with NGOs to formulate a policy limiting boats’ anchoring in order to minimize the
impact on corals and reefs. The Liveaboards Association of Maldives has requested to put buoys
at certain islands for boats to dock by hanging a rope on buoy instead of anchoring. However,
interviews with tourism industry stakeholders highlighted the need for better communication
between developers and policy makers, as interviewees expressed their belief in the importance
of discussing guidelines prior to implementation.
The tourism industry has been proactive in implementing their own sustainability strategies.
Almost all resorts have a desalination plant to provide bottled drinking water to the tourists
instead of having to use plastic bottled water. Certain resorts have taken the next step and
combined innovation with sustainability by installing their own glass studio. Sonevafushi is
equipped with an in-house state-of-the-art glass factory, which is used to turn glass waste into
tableware.171 The resort not only collects its own waste, but also welcomes the waste from
neighboring resorts in the atoll. Alif Alif Bodufolhudhoo was the first local island to impose
Maldives’ very first ban on single-use plastic bags.172 Corporate entities soon started following
this initiative – Dhiraagu partnered with Parley’s ‘For the Oceans’ campaign under efforts to
reduce the use of single-use plastics and encourage people to opt for reusable bags.173 Several
food and beverages establishments have also joined the movement and introduce paper/metal
straws and requested customers to ditch the plastic straw.
Funding
Both domestic and foreign sources are used to fund tourism sustainability activities. As
mentioned earlier, the government is using tax revenue to fund some of its initiatives. The
171 Soneva Fushi (n.d.). Website. Retrieved from
172 Guesthouses Maldives. (2015). Bodufolhudhoo becomes first island in Maldives to ban single-use plastic bags. Retrieved
from
173 PSM News. (2016). Dhiraagu joins Parley’s “For the Ocean” campaign. Retrieved from