Regulation & duties
Maldives plans a halal tourism framework within three to five years
The High Commissioner to Malaysia says standards, regulations and certification are central, and that Malaysia's experience will inform the work.
Regulation & duties · 2026-11-11 · Drafted with AI assistance and edited by the newsroom
The Maldives aims to build a comprehensive halal tourism framework over the next three to five years, Maldives High Commissioner to Malaysia Dr Mariyam Shabeena Ahmed said in an interview on Bernama TV, as reported by Voice on 7 November. She said establishing standards, regulations and certification would be central, and named training, knowledge sharing, hospitality capacity-building and marine research as areas for cooperation with Malaysia.
A tourism cooperation memorandum signed during President Muizzu's 2025 visit to Malaysia identified Muslim-friendly tourism, ecotourism and community-based tourism for collaboration. The President announced in 2025 that a group of Maldivian islands would be set aside for Islamic or halal tourism. The High Commissioner said the aim is to combine the established luxury offer with experiences that meet Muslim travellers' needs, and that local island tourism would play an important part.