MALDIVIAN GASTRONOMY E-LIBRARY

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD DELICACIES IN MALDIVES

Tourism has the potential to contribute, directly or indirectly to all of the goals of the 2030 Agenda. In particular, it has been included as targets in Goals 8, 12 and 14 on inclusive and sustainable economic growth, sustainable consumption and production, and the sustainable use of oceans and marine resources, respectively.

The increasing recognition of the role of tourism in sustainable development and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda provides a unique opportunity for all governments to create a sound and favourable policy foundation (see the last Voluntary National Report of Maldives to UN in a nutshell here http://tourism4sdgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Maldives_CountryFiche.pdf ).

“As more and more travellers search for the unique experiences of local gastronomy, the promotion of gastronomy tourism has moved towards a central position in tourism development and its potential contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals,” says Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General. UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) is one of the strongest advocate of Gastronomy Tourism as a vehicle to achieve the SDGs by 2030 (see https://www.unwto.org/6th-unwto-world-forum-on-gastronomy-tourism ).

The best introduction to understand the importance of developing Gastronomy Tourism in the Maldives, linking tourism and food to enable visitors to discover and experience traditional culinary specialties in Maldives, comes from academic scholars who have studied and written about the subject in past years. To this extent we advice you to visit links like https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249963302_Marketing_Maldives_Beyond_’The_Sunny_Side_of_Life’_A_role_for_food (an article by Fathimath Amira) , https://core.ac.uk/reader/56361515 (a thesis for a Master degree by Fathimath Amira), https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-317309643/enhancing-the-cultural-tourism-experience-through (an article by Hussain Zeenaz) , where you can learn more on the interesting, and surprising, results achieved by the researchers through methodically analysing the undervalued attraction of traditional food in the international touristic marketing of Maldives.

For an overview of the Dhivehi cuisine there are several sites on the web that can provide enough information to stimulate your appetite, providing both text and video on single or multiple specialties. One of the best and easy reading can be found at https://www.themaldivesexpert.com/1659/traditional-maldivian-cuisine/ , a travel guide on line that offer insider knowledge and tips on local food.