Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, has said that an income of MVR 5 billion would be generated from the tourism industry next year.

Speaking on Raajje TV’s “Falasurukhee” program last night, Dr. Mausoom said that with work resuming on the islands leased for tourism developed, revenue will be coming in from those islands as well along with tax.

He said that exact income projected for the coming year will be clear when the parliament passes the bill currently at the parliament and the hope is to gain the parliament’s approval for the proposed actions.

The Tourism Minister said that the European countries will be reopening in December and is going to raise the number of tourists visiting the Maldives from that region. An estimate of one million tourists are expected to visit the Maldives next year.

Dr. Mausoom said that when the Maldivian borders reopened in July, a hundred thousand tourists were estimated to visit the Maldives this year but that target has been since passed and the number is closer to the new target of five hundred thousand tourists.