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"Please come to Maldives, we need you" pleads Riffath, Chairman of Capital Travel & Tours
29 Dec 2004
Yousuf Riffath
Chairman
Capital GroupMaldive Islands have been known to the world as one of the most beautiful holiday destinations in the world and the country depends heavily on tourism as it contributes some 37% to the the GDP of the country.
"I would like to call on our friends around the world and ask them to come back to Maldives for their holidays. What happened to us and our people and our beautiful country is a natural disaster, our friends will not abandon us in this time of need, I am confident of this" said Mr. Riffath, Chairman of Capital Group, the most prominent tour operator and a leading businessman in the Maldives.
According to Riffath, more than 500 clients have now cancelled their booking and the group will suffer a loss of more than 400,000 dollars in revenue as a result of this disaster. This is the busiest time of the year in Maldives and in the past decade or more, getting a room in the Maldives during Xmas and New Year is absolutely impossible.
"Maldives is still beautiful and if 'our friends' stop coming here our people will suffer substantially. I hope that cancellations that we are seeing now is only temporary." said Mr. Riffath.
According to Riffath, the overall loss to the Maldives economy as a result of this disaster will run into billion dollars. Maldives is one of the most sought after holiday destinations in the world.
Riffath's yacht MV Faiymini was near Vaavu Atoll with 14 Italian guests when the Tsunami hit the island. 10 guests were on the island of Bodumohoraa when it happened who were all rescued without any loss of life or injury. Some Maldivians who work in the island of Bodumohoraa belonging Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture were also taken to the nearby island of Fulidhoo which was also devastated by the floods. "I am pleased to say that out of the 14 guests who were all supposed to fly out tomorrow to Sri Lanka for the second part of their holiday, 12 have decided to stay on for another week on board the yacht" said Mr. Riffath.
"This is a very sad moment for our country and for our region as well. I am deeply shocked about the scale of this disaster. My heart goes out to the thousands of people who perished and to the suffering and anguish of their families and friends in our small nation. I also want to convey my deepest sympathy to the thousand of families of our neighbours in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and all other countries who have lost even more than we have" said Mr. Riffath in a sad voice. Mr. Riffath said that he will be sending food aid to Lhaviyani Atoll and that the boat will leave to his native island of Hinnavaru tomorrow morning carrying food and other essentials.
Capital Group is determined to contribute and cooperate with everyone to rebuild the country in all its capacity, most importantly the rejuvenation of the tourism industry.
Mr. Riffath also owns a successful resort supply business Astrabon, specialising in food and beverages including kitchen utensils. Capital group represents some of the best brands in the world.
Capital Travel & Tours is a member of several international travel associations. For further information please visit www.capitaltravel.net.
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