Students in Maldives were introduced on Saturday to scuba diving, as part of the events being held to celebrate the World Tourism Day 2017.
Organised jointly by the tourism ministry and the Liveaboard Association of Maldives (LAM), the Discover Scuba Dive event was held at the swimming track in capital Male Saturday morning. It was attended by dozens of students from local schools and colleges.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, tourism minister Moosa Zameer said six percent of total tourist arrivals to the Maldives consist of divers. As tourism expands with the opening of several new resorts and an increase in arrivals, the diving segment should also be expanded, he added.
“Maldives tourism relies heavily on water sports and diving,” the minister said.
According to the tourism ministry, the Discover Scuba Dive event was held in order to create interest and promote career prospects in the diving sector as well as to provide a platform for the students to learn basic diving skills.
Known internationally as one of the world’s best scuba diving destinations, the Maldives has an abundance of dive sites with one thrilling dive opportunity after another. The islands of the Maldives have consistently warm waters with outstanding visibility throughout the year, and consist of exhilarating dive sites such as vibrant thilas, exciting channels, coral-filled overhangs and fascinating wrecks.
World Tourism Day has been celebrated since 1980 on September 27, the day on which the statutes of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) entered into force. Peace and dialogue, energy, accessibility, and world heritage have been some of the topics tackled as part of the 37 previous editions of the day.
The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day is ‘Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development’. Celebrated in line with the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the day will be dedicated to exploring the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As part of the activities being held to mark the day, an exposure trip for students was held late last month.