MP Calls for Solution to Grooming Restrictions in Tourism Sector
Photo credit: People’s Majlis of Maldives
A motion has been submitted to Parliament calling for a resolution to the issue of tourism employees being restricted from keeping facial hair as part of resort dress codes.
The motion was presented by Mauroof Zakir, the MP for Kendhoo constituency and a member of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Mauroof, who has actively advocated for the rights of tourism workers, also lodged a formal complaint with the People’s Majlis, highlighting that certain resorts enforce grooming policies that prevent employees from wearing beards or headscarves.
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“This infringes on the right to work of citizens who wish to work in the tourism industry who wear headscarves or keep beards,” the motion stated. It urged the government to eliminate such barriers and introduce a standardised dress code and grooming policy for employees in the tourism sector.
According to Mauroof, 45% of resorts currently operating in the Maldives allow employees to wear beards and headscarves. He also cited a survey conducted by the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM), which involved 11,000 participants, revealing that 93% of tourism employees expressed a desire to maintain an adequate beard.
