IMTM Pvt. Ltd. is delighted to announce the third edition of its annual Sustainable Tourism Forum (STF) 2022 will be held at the Manhattan Business Hotel in Male’ City. The IMTM Sustainable Tourism Forum is a platform connecting stakeholders from the Maldives Tourism Industry, encouraging them to engage in dialogue on issues pertaining to social, economic, and environmental sustainability of the country’s tourism sector. IMTM’s aim with this forum is to educate and inspiret he industry as a whole to make the Maldives a truly sustainable tourist destination.

This year’s STF will take place on 3rd and 4th December and will explore the theme “What is Sustainable Tourism? Interpretations and Discourses of Sustainable Tourism in the Maldives”. Given the vulnerability of the Maldives to the adverse impacts of climate change and in consideration of the unprecedented growth of the Maldivian tourism sector, platforms such as the IMTM Sustainable Tourism Forum play a critical role. The STF is designed as a platform to share experiences and knowledge on sustainable tourism practices geared towards innovation, climate change adaptation and building resiliency of the industry and the Maldivian community. Its goal is to further stimulate understanding of the scientific elements influencing climate resilient development while identifying avenues for investment and improved livelihood of the Maldivian people.

The STF 2022 further targets to expand its scope in not only creating a space for dialogue, but a means to design and create standards for sustainable tourism in the Maldives and produce knowledge-based products that would contribute to the global understanding of sustainability within the tourism sector. The STF 2022 will be conducted in five sessions spread across the 2-day forum. Speakers will be selected from the registered participants who have expression an interest in sharing a presentation on their company’s sustainability initiatives.

• Session one: Concepts, trends and policies relating to sustainable tourism

• Session two: Sustainability in practice

• Session three: Group work

• Session four: Group work (continued)

• Session five: Synthesizing

Given the diversity within the tourism industry in the Maldives, the definition, and interpretations of what constitutes a ‘sustainable establishment’ differs significantly among the various actors. As such, the sustainability practices of a purely natural island are likely to differ to that of a human-made island.

Similarly, it is likely that sustainability practices are approached differently by large resorts and smaller establishments such as local guesthouses. It is therefore important to identify, discuss and debate the concept of sustainability in the tourism sector in the backdrop of current global trajectories. More importantly, it is imperative that lessons are derived on current sustainability practices among different actors and share these among broader stakeholders to reach a common understanding of what entails sustainable tourism in the Maldives and other small island countries.

A key outcome of the STF 2022 will be to identify criteria for sustainable tourism in the Maldivian context and identify how these can be replicated among other small island nations. Through this forum, we seek to answer the question “What is Sustainable Tourism” and clearly define a “sustainable tourism establishment”. In addition to this, IMTM will be compiling a thorough written report on the discussions held throughout the STF 2022 and submitting it to the government, relevant associations, and other parties to raise more awareness and help guide everyone towards a more sustainable path.

IMTM calls upon the industry to join them and strengthen networks to foster innovation and collaborative approaches to support sustainable tourism. This is a platform designed to stimulate dialogue between key players of the Maldivian tourism industry, international partners, the Government, and the local community.