Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal has said that the current government aims on expediting the development of 63 islands allocated for tourism, for which the state is currently holding discussions.
Minister Faisal, while speaking in a program aired by the state-run media, said that he has gathered information on the islands leased for tourism since taking charge of the ministry.
He reports that the ministry’s statistics showed 63 have been leased for resort development, and are poised to open in the future, while some of the islands have been leased 10 to 20 years back. The ministry launched discussions with investors on addressing the challenges in the development process to expedite the efforts.
The minister further said that the ministry is holding discussions with the Attorney General to seek methods on how the state can provide assistance in the development of resorts according to the relevant laws and regulations.
The minister highlighted his target of bringing 50% of the currently in-development islands to the market in the next five years.
The government aims to hope 12 to 15 new properties in 2024, which is poised to add over 1,000 tourist beds to the industry.