HILTON-WORLDWIDE GROUP’S SEA-PLANE LOUNGE INAUGURATION AT MALE’INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
SPEECH OF GUEST OF HONOUR, MINISTER OF TOURISM ARTS & CULTURE DR MARIYAM ZULFA

Bismillahir-rahmannir Raheem and Assalamalaikum

Regional Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives, of the Hilton Worldide Group Mr.Carsten Shieck, Chairman of Trans Maldivian Airways Mr.Lars Peter, Directors of Crown Company Mr Hussain Afeef and Mr Ahmed Saleem, Chairman of Sun Resorts Mr Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, distinguished attendees, esteemed employees of the Hilton, Conrad and Waldorf  Astoria brands in the Maldives, my fellow sisters and brothers. Good evening.

First of all I hasten to send you greetings and congratulations from His Excellency President Mohamed Nasheed on this momentous occasion. On his behalf and on behalf of the government, I warmly congratulate the Hilton Worldwide Group and Trans Maldivian Airways on the occasion of the opening of this lounge facility for the guests of this Group. This service is a benchmark in the evolution of the Maldives tourism product. It is the very hallmark of how successfully the Maldives tourism industry has progressed from stage to stage.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Hilton chain came to the Maldives in 1997, if my information is correct, introduced by one of the living pioneers of the Maldives tourism industry, Mr.Hussain Afeef. While the coming of chains like Hilton and Conrad to the Maldives is an inevitable next step in the progression of Maldives as a competitive destination, we must never forget that the Maldives tourism industry has been built upon the blood , sweat and tears of our very own pioneers and Maldivian entrepreneurs, and the many successes that the industry enjoys today are in large part due to the innovative and creative entrepreneurship shown by our own industry players.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very aware that the Maldives tourism industry is in need of directions for growth and the government has started a dialogue with industry participants through a master plan advisory committee, to obtain advice on how policies ought to be shaped, beds ought to be distributed, infrastructure and services ought to be provided and so on. One area of much debate is how the services at Male’ International Airport are not commensurate with the needs of the large numbers of high end tourist that our destination attracts. Be that as it may, I am very happy to note that the private sector has once again led the way in establishing this benchmark facility and shown the example of how services ought to complement the beautiful resorts that the industry has built throughout the country.

It saddens me when I get the occasional feedback that the government sometimes makes things difficult for business. That is quite not the case. President Nasheed and indeed all his cabinet members work quite hard to listen to business and make things as efficacious as possible for industry stakeholders. Ladies and Gentlemen, I pledge to you that the government will work as hard as the private sector in ensuring that the correct matches are made in between customer needs, and infrastructure & services provided.

I thank the Hilton, Cornad and Waldorf Astoria groups for lending your name to the success of this destination. The government is appreciative of your presence in the destination and will do all it can to ensure efficacy in the services that you provide. At the same time, I call upon the managements of all international brands in this country, that while we are very proud of your presence, we need your help in providing greater opportunities of growth for our young men and women. I am fully appreciative of the fact that world class companies such as yourselves have work systems, quality assurance mechanisms, performance goals and set targets. At the same time I am very aware that the young men and women exiting our school systems in the Maldives are not job ready to participate in the many opportunities your management systems and excellent management cultures provide. I call upon you to spare some thought and attention to how our very own young men and women could contribute to your operations. They need assistance from excellent companies such as yourselves. Training opportunities and apprenticeship programs to enable them to work alongside you and gain world class on-the- job experience and learn from you. I know that some chains already do provide many such opportunities but much more is needed to provide the necessary growth and stimulus our economy needs.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be inaugurating this excellent service and I wish you all the very best in your operations and an even more successful partnership between yourselves and the  Maldivian people.

Thank you and a very good evening.

Mariyam Zulfa