By The Minister of Tourism, Ibrahim Faisal, has declared that the inauguration of the new terminal at Velana International Airport is scheduled for December of this year.
This event is set to be a landmark achievement for the nation’s tourism industry. The announcement was made in his address on World Tourism Day 2024, where he highlighted the new terminal as an integral part of the extensive airport modernization initiative.
In his address, Minister Ibrahim Faisal emphasized the significance of the new terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA) for the expansion of the Maldives’ tourism industry. He also announced that the terminal’s operations are scheduled to commence in December, with the expectation that the airport will be completely operational by the first or second quarter of the following year.
“Based on the progress of the work at the new VIA terminal, operations could commence as early as December this year,” Minister Faisal announced.
Furthermore, Minister Faisal emphasized the need to attract additional airlines to commence operations to the Maldives following the inauguration of the new terminal. He mentioned that the government intends to work in conjunction with the tourism industry to launch marketing initiatives. He highlighted the opportunity for the government to leverage the opening of the terminal to enhance marketing strategies and improve occupancy rates.
“Presently, the tourism sector contributes USD 4.5 billion to the state’s revenue, and our goal is to increase this to USD 6 billion by the year 2027,” stated Minister Faisal.
The government is advancing the development of the newly built terminal, outfitted with cutting-edge amenities, to have the capacity to handle 7 million passengers annually.