Integrating culture and heritage into the tourism product of the Maldives

Abstract

The Maldives is known worldwide for its natural beauty. However, the country also boasts of a rich culture and history that have yet to be explored and experienced by the hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting the country every year. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to explore the possibility of integrating the cultural and heritage resources of the country into its successful tourism industry. The paper examines existing literature on the experiences of other countries that are using their culture and heritage as part of their tourism product. Through the research certain negative impacts such as commodification of the cultural products and loss of traditional values were identified. It was also identified that a successful integration of the tourism product with the cultural and heritage assets would not only enrich the visitors experience, but also help manage the rare and fragile resources in a sustainable manner. Moreover, it would help attain economic and social benefits to the host community. It is believed that certain recommended actions such as strengthening the infrastructure, educating the locals and visitors, establishment of a Cultural Management System and continuous marketing would ensure the success of an integration between the culture and heritage and the tourism industry of the Maldives.