MATI Elected to UN Tourism Board
From MATI’s 35th Annual General Meeting at Kurumba Maldives on February 9, 2025 | Photo: MATI’s X account.
The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) has been elected to the UN Tourism Board of Affiliate Members for the 2026–2029 term.
This marks the first time an entity from Maldivian tourism serves on this international board.
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MATI secured one of two regional seats allocated to South Asia. According to the organisation, this highlights the Maldives’ growing prominence in the region’s tourism sector. The association will be represented on the board by Asad Ali, Deputy Secretary General of MATI.
The Board of Affiliate Members acts as an advisory body to the UN Tourism Secretary-General, helping align member organisations with UN Tourism’s goals, mission, and programme of work. The board consists of 20 elected positions, including 12 Regional Members from six global regions and eight Global Members. Its responsibilities include making administrative and technical decisions between plenary sessions, providing strategic recommendations on the programme of work and annual objectives for Affiliate Membership, and advising the Secretary-General on matters related to Affiliate Membership.
Asad will attend the board’s first meeting on 11 November 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the 26th General Assembly of UN Tourism, where discussions on global tourism development and international cooperation will take place.
MATI was granted Affiliate Membership of the UN Tourism by the 23rd UNWTO General Assembly on 11 September 2019, becoming the first organisation from the Maldives to achieve this status.
