Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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government has also introduced a green tax in the 8 th amendment to the Maldives Tourism
Act.174 Many sustainability initiatives are funded by the tourism industry, an example of this is
the Kudadoo Private Island which is fitted with solar panels paid for by the property owners.
However, this may not be possible for all properties since many have already taken extensive
loans to build their properties. Funding from international organizations, such as the UNDP, is
also being used to tackle serious environmental threats to the sustainability of tourism in the
Maldives.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Sustainable Tourism
Impacts of tourism are mainly measured through the use of economic indicators such as tourism
sector contribution to GDP. The Maldives is currently in the process of developing monitoring
and evaluation tools and a reporting system with the support of the UNWTO. At present,
Maldives has no sustainability certification for the destination. Individual resorts including
Anantara Veli, Anantara Digu, and Anantara Naladhu as well as Jumeirah Vittaveli have received
the Green Globe certification, which is awarded to recognize the commitment of the resorts to
environmental protection and local culture.175
Lessons Learned
To ensure the implementation of sustainable practices and enforcement of regulations,
continuous monitoring is needed to establish adherence levels to standards of sustainability.
Tourism stakeholders needs to be more involved in development of tourism sustainability
regulations. Stakeholders need to be invited more to events and discussions leading to the
development of the industry. Continuous communication and engagement are needed to
increase awareness of the importance of sustainability.
Support from international organizations, such as the UNWTO in the Maldives' case, can be
instrumental in developing destination-specific monitoring tools for sustainable tourism.
174 Maldives Inland Revenue Authority. (2016). Eighth amendment to the Maldives
tourism act. Retrieved from
_20160710_English.pdf.
175 Green Globe. (2012). Green Globe Certifies Anantara Veli Resort and Spa Maldives. Retrieved from