The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) hosted the 3rd edition of the MATI Member Forum today at H. Meerumaa, Male’. The Forum brought together members of MATI and senior Government officials that included the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Hon. Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. Ahmed Shiyam and Commissioner General of Taxation, Mr. Hassan Zareer to discuss key regulatory, environmental, and operational issues impacting the tourism sector.

The event began with opening remarks and a video presentation recapping the 1st and 2nd editions of the Forum. Key unresolved issues and challenges were briefly outlined ahead of the main discussions.

The first panel discussion, titled "Addressing regulatory challenges related to Environmental Impacts", was moderated by Dr. Mizna Mohamed, Director of Science and Innovation at the Small Island Geographic Society. Panelists included Mr. Ajwad Musthafa, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Mr. Ahmed Jameel, Managing Director of Water Solutions, and Mr. Ahmed Nazeer, Secretary General of MATI.

This was followed by a second panel discussion on “Increasing concerns regarding marine safety and security”, moderated by Mr. Hassan Saeed, Resort Manager at Dhigali Maldives. Panelists included Dr. Abdulla Niyaz, Minister of State for Tourism and Environment, Mr. Thorsten Antons, Regional Manager at Euro Divers Maldives, Mr. Mohamed Solah, CEO of Crown and Champa Resorts, Ms. Muhusina Abdul Rahman, Director of Protected Areas at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, and Mr. Fareed Ismail, Chief Superintendent of Police at the Maldives Police Service.

The Forum also featured a presentation on "Issues with the Employee Withholding Tax Regime" delivered by Mr. Tholhath Rasheed, Tax Advisor at SHC Law and Tax LLP. This was followed by an interactive Q&A session.

In his closing statement, MATI Secretary General Mr. Ahmed Nazeer highlighted the importance of continued engagement between the private sector and relevant authorities to address the industry’s challenges in a collaborative and solution-focused manner.