Enhancing Destination Competitiveness for a Sustainable Tourism Industry : The Case of Maldives

This research paper investigated the competitiveness of the Maldives tourism industry from the perspectives of destination competitiveness for a sustainable tourism industry. Largely exploratory this paper uses a combination of inductive and deductive approaches through a two stages exercise. Maldives tourism industry now faces some major challenges. First is the sustainable development of the tourism sector. The sharp increases in mass tourism and degrading the country's scarce and fragile natural resources and policy measures are required to protect the fragile eco systems. Weak coastal zone management has created problems in waste disposal. The impact of climate change is eroding the sustainability of the tourism industry. New hotel construction, waste disposal and increased tourist activities are degrading the environment and threaten the fragile ecosystems. Another challenge is the intense competition from its regional rivals such as the Seychelles and Mauritius which share the same customer base which could result in the Maldives losing its market share to them. The literature review was used to identify two research questions and two research propositions were developed for testing. Qualitative data were collected through a literature review and personal interviews. Quantitative data for the second phase was collected through a questionnaire survey and analyzed by way of descriptive statistics. Finally, the paper offers appropriate recommendations for consideration by both the Government and industry to enhance the destination competitiveness of Maldives for a sustainable tourism industry