Mal©: Tourist flow has decreased by 26% due to the Middle East crisis, Abdulla Muththalib, Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development of the Maldives, said during the special session titled 'Inclusive Urban Resilience, Blue Economy and Sustainable Tourism in Small Island Developing States' held within the framework of WUF13.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the minister stated that the development of guesthouse tourism in the Maldives creates competition with land intended for residential purposes. He explained that families are selling their land or using it for commercial purposes to generate income from tourism and move to other islands.

Abdulla Muththalib noted that tourism is the only type of economic activity for many islands, making it difficult to restrict the use of residential land for this purpose. He emphasized that the Maldives' high dependence on tourism makes the country vulnerable to external shocks, stating, "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis in the Middle East, tourist flow decreased by 26% year-on-year."

The minister highlighted that the main goal is to create safe, climate-resilient, and economically sustainable islands to mitigate such vulnerabilities.