Background information
The Republic of Maldives is an archipelago found in the Indian Ocean. Throughout her history, Maldives has been an independent state; however, this was cut short with a Portuguese invasion, which lasted for fifteen years. A sultanate ruled the Maldives for a long time until the country shifted to democracy on November 11th, 1968. Although Maldive’s first written constitution was developed in 1932, it continues to cherish its past heritage.Maldives has a rich history of tourism and travel that dates back to around 500BC when Aryans first lived in the country. Tourism is the most crucial sector in the Maldives since it is the largest foreign exchange earner and the biggest employer. Ironically, a United Nations Mission in 1960 thrashed away thoughts of having a vibrant tourism industry in the Maldives. Yet, the country has made progressive strives cutting a niche in the world’s tourism industry. Active tourism started in 1972, with only three hotels recently. The numbers have quadrupled to a hundred luxury resorts.
The Maldives is famous for its natural flora and fauna. The country boasts of having deep blue oceans, white sandy beaches, and naturally clean air. The Maldives is one of the favorite spots for recreational divers, with an estimate of more than sixty diving sites spread across the island nation. Agoda.com, tours and travel advisor, conducted a survey and determined that couples worldwide wish for holidays in the Maldives. The country’s level of crime is generally low, but misplaced items in the beaches might be stolen. Although, there has been a concern in the capital city Male because of an increase in Knife crimes. Therefore, tourists are advised to avoid populated areas. In addition to that, tourists should heed local advice on the potential dangers of outdoor swimming. This is because of piracy and terrorism in Somalia. Terrorist groups in these regions target recreational facilities like hotels, worship centers, and airports. Anyone traveling to the Maldives should be cautious.
Importance of tourism in the Republic of Maldives.
First and foremost, tourism earns the Maldivian government foreign exchange. The tourism sector in the Maldives is the footstone of the country’s economy as it accounts for 20%of the gross domestic product. This foreign exchange is vital because it enables the functioning of the government. Therefore, the government can utilize these funds to provide essential services in the country. The Maldives Tourism Department Corporation is the state body charged with oversight on tourism. It therefore maintains, advertises, and promotes tourism in the country. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the Maldivian economy depends entirely on tourism as it forms the economy’s backbone. The Ministry further states that the Maldives has continued to attract millions of travelers since the country clocked one million visitors a milestone in the country’s tourism industry.
The tourism industry is the largest employer, with over one million employees throughout the island nation. The industry had made perfect strides since 1972 when the country had only three resorts. Hotels have sprung up and, in turn, creating employment opportunities for the local people. Citizens can now afford a basic good life, a positive stride for the struggling archipelago. According to the International Labor Organization, the universal cases of unemployment might increase due to the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in many sectors. However, since the tourism industry is labor-intensive as numbers plummet elsewhere, tourism continues to employ one in every five job entries in the globe. The nature of jobs in the tourism industry is low-skilled and, therefore, does not require high educational qualifications, which might be unavailable in the developing world. For instance, a hotel with a thousand rooms might consider one employee per room, talk about the other informal jobs created like tour guides and drivers which had it not been for tourism would not have existed.
Tourism has promoted infrastructural development enabling accessibility to even remote areas. Tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner in countries with vibrant tourism like the Maldives, South Africa, and Brazil, who enjoy the trickling of monies to their economies. Either through direct purchase of items by the tourists in local shops or payment of booking and reservation. Nevertheless, the whole economy enjoys the benefits of having tourists around. Businesses can pay their taxes, and the government can provide roads, railways, schools, and hospitals.
Tourism contributes to environmental conservation. The rallying call for tourism experts is wary of the unsustainability of the environment. Therefore, this factor has necessitated the need for tourism professionals and key stakeholders to conserve flora and fauna. In addition to that, global environmental issues like the emission of the chlorofloro carbons should be discussed and pragmatic measures adopted by the governments. In the Maldives, one major challenge experienced is the hostility of the climate. Unfortunately, most causes of environmental calamities like tsunamis and tornadoes that continue to rip our countries apart are human-made. fortunately, steps have already been taken under the banner “Advancing sustainable tourism in a changing climate.” An intervention to make tourism pertinent to the current climate concerns around the globe.
Challenges facing tourism and hospitality in the Maldives
The Maldives faces challenges that affect its growing tourism industry. The country was relatively an unknown destination until it was discovered by Italian divers who brought it to the global stage of tourism. Initially, a United Nations special mission declared the Maldives unsuitable for tourism. However, this has changed as the country is a vibrant tourism hub. The Maldives faces a shortage of skilled labor because tourism appeals to the less qualified or semi-professionals compared to other tourist destinations like Switzerland. However, there is stiff competition in jobs as hotels and resorts continue to mushroom in this favorite holiday destination. Other challenges are violence and threats of terrorism due to its position in a volatile region. Therefore, security becomes a key concern with fear of pirates and knife violence in its crowded places in the capital Male. On February 5th of 2018, the government declared a state of emergency because of the country’s political unrest aiming to curb insecurity. However, the main problem facing tourism is climate change, which is discussed in detail.
The effect of climate change in the industry.
According to Ford, (2016), the climate is the long-term weather condition in a place. Ford posits further that humidity is measured over a year, although it might change with the revolutions of the earth, therefore, creating seasons such as winter, summer, and autumn in most parts of the world. On the other hand, climate change is the disparity in climate patterns all over the world as a result of global warming Seidl et al. (2017). The phenomenon is caused by the emissions of Carbon (iv) Oxide from industries and machines using fossil fuels. The harmful gas in petroleum and diesel attack the ozone layer creating the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is experienced when the sun’s rays attack the earth’s surface creating a shift in climatic patterns. For instance, greenhouse gases have caused the melting of ice in Antarctica’s extremely cold regions.
The earth is linked to the atmosphere together with her features like oceans, rivers, ice, and vegetation Paquette et al. (2018). All these entities, therefore, make a complicated earth system. All these systems are complementary to one another, in turn affecting each other. Climate decides how vegetation is distributed on the earth’s surface, thereby deciding areas that become deserts while others become densely vegetated. The plant simultaneously affects the environment by radiating the sun’s rays, transferring radiant energy alongside moisture from the ground to the atmosphere. This complex system of communication is still a phenomenon under investigation by scientists as they try to unravel how the various entities communicate to influence life on earth.
Climate projectors anticipate that the annual rainfall is likely to shoot in the Northern Indian Ocean areas the Maldives included. The Asian monsoon winds heavily influence the Maldives, and climate analysts state that the ocean has been slow in responding to them; therefore, warm seasons are anticipated in the country. Consequently, climate prototypes anticipate a temperature increase of about 2.1 degrees Celsius below the global ratings. The climate models in the forecast each predicted a rise in temperature across the seasons. On the other hand, precipitation was constant and did not change throughout the seasons. Like all small islands, the Maldives is vulnerable to changes in climate and rising sea levels (Malatesta & Di Friedberg, (2017). The country’s coastal regions might worsen, affecting Maldives’ fishing and tourism industry. With the ever-increasing carbon emissions from industrial nations, the problem of climate change will continue to affect the Maldives’ for a long time. Island nations like the Maldives should plan for a worse future if conditions remain the same. The rise in seas levels, which affect tourism and fishing, would render thousands jobless, and the entire government broke. The islands are only attractive because of their visibility, once submerged beneath nobody would consider ever visiting the Maldives’. The other potential danger is the human catastrophe that can be crystallized as either economic or social. For a country that depends on tourism and hospitality, unemployment would create social instability as the masses would battle their government to help resolve the imminent poverty Stojanov et al. (2017). The rise in sea levels would destroy infrastructure and landscape vital for the tourism industry in the Maldives. Hotels submerged in water, and in dire eventualities, human life might be lost if not adequately addressed. One peculiar attribute of tropical islands is their volatility to climate change. For example, a country like Indonesia battles extreme climate patterns that have led to the recent rise in hurricane attacks. The Maldives might be a time bomb if climate concerns are not addressed.
The islands are situated on the monsoon winds, which will only exacerbate catastrophes lead to loss of lives for both tourists and locals. The Maldives might find herself unable to feed her populations because of the rising sea levels Bary, (2017). Although the government has advertised the Maldives a destination committed to sustainable tourism, the reality on the ground is different because the Maldives is the lowest-lying country in the world, and it is just a matter of time for it disappearing in the face of the earth. High rainfalls in the Maldives would not be suitable for agriculture because there would not be any land for agricultural use. In extreme climatic conditions, Maldivians would find themselves roaming around the globe as climate desolates. Climate change also creates a seasonality that affects the global order in the tourism world. Lastly, cyclones and typhoons and other implications affect the biodiversity in the Maldives.
Sustainable tourism and international implications.
Currently, there is a need for sustainable tourism to help cater to the needs of both visitors and the hosts in every tourist destination. Resources should be martialed with a collective effort to make sure that economic, social, and other basic needs can be fulfilled. Cultural integrity should be respected by every stakeholder to create a cohesiveness in the field of international tourism. For instance, Maldives is a predominantly Muslim country. Tourists planning for voyages in the Maldives should respect the culture and should not take conservatism negatively. Instead, they should embrace the culture. It is historically correct that the Maldives was only opened up to the world from 1972, and such a secluded historical past might inform the attitudes of locals who might find it difficult to mingle with foreigners. However, much has changed. The socio-economic order has created a brand-new society where issues like women empowerment are addressed in the country Hodkinson, (2016). This is evident with the tourism sector employing more women than men. If you walk in the streets of Male, it isn’t hard for you to spot smartphones, online dating and matchmaking is witnessed as teenagers explore the world through technology.
Curbing climate change.
The government should Impose a tax on emissions, also known as the carbon tax. This would help in reducing the number of emissions of the greenhouse gasses causing global warming. The world projects that by 2050 the amount of carbon emissions in the globe would reduce to zero. These interventions should be quickly adopted by the Maldivian government to protect their tourism industry and habitat. Secondly, the government should limit the use of fossil fuels, both domestically and industrially. These would reduce the amount of carbon (iv) oxide in the environment and, in turn, eliminate global warming. The Maldivian government should encourage the use of renewable sources of energy, such as solar energy. Environmentally friendly energy would reduce the amount of carbon in the air. This would reverse the potential calamities in the island nation. Being an agriculture-dependent nation, the government should revamp the sector and encourage green infrastructure Barry, (2017). This method is beneficial in curbing climate change, but it also improves the country’s quality of food products. Green gardens help purify rainwater reducing the toxic gases that might have coalesced in the rain Ming et al. (2016). Finally, the government should foster international commitment in the fight against global warming. Many countries are signatories in the fight against global warming, yet this should not be merely paperwork; therefore, governments should be pragmatic in this fight to save our ecosystem Pravalie, (2018). The current government of President Abdulla Yameen has vowed not to buy land elsewhere, as previously proposed by former President Mohamed Nasheed, to relocate masses if the levels of water should rise to make the islands inhabitable. This current government is pragmatic in its approach because it acknowledges the need to transfer masses into safer highlands. President Yameen’s government is considering renting islands to private owners and the money utilized in building new habitats.
Conclusion
Tourism is a vital sector for the existence of the Maldivian people. The consequences of climate change are far-reaching; therefore, the government should roll up her sleeves and incorporate climate control because it impacts tourism and determines the existence of the Maldivian people. As a global phenomenon, tourism should unite countries, champion cohesion, and respect individual cultures.
References
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