The Tourism Statistics Survey 2024 was launched today by Dr. Muaviyath Mohamed, Minister of State for Climate Change, Environment, and Energy, during a ceremony organized by the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) in collaboration with the Ministry. The launch event was attended by key stakeholders, including government representatives and policy experts.

In his remarks, Dr. Muaviyath Mohamed emphasized the critical role of the survey as an evidence-based tool to guide decisions supporting sustainable tourism development and achieving national climate goals. He highlighted that tourism remains a vital economic sector, and the survey will enhance data accuracy for improved policy decisions.

The survey has been updated to collect essential energy data to strengthen national climate reporting in line with the transparency requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.

Through the CBIT Maldives Project, this update was carried out under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on 6th November 2024 between the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy, the Utility Regulatory Authority (URA), and the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS). The MOU aims to improve data collection processes for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance the accuracy of energy-related statistics to meet both national and international reporting obligations.

As part of this initiative, the Tourism Statistics Survey will collect data on energy usage from the resort sector annually. The survey directly addresses data gaps identified in the Maldives’ First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1), particularly those related to the tourism sector’s energy consumption and emissions.

The CBIT Maldives Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy, with technical support from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).