Tourism asks for sale of resorts upon default in rent payment

The Ministry of Tourism has today asked the Ministry of Finance to secure rent and fines due to the government from some seven resorts by selling those resorts in accordance with the decision of the cabinet.

Mariyam Zulfa, the Minister of Tourism said today that a respite was given to those resort owners who had failed to pay up the rent and fines levied for failure to pay rent on time. Under the respite, they were required to pay only 25% within an added period of 90 days. According to Tourism Minister Zulfa, the Ministry ordered sale of those resorts which had failed to pay the 25% within 90 days.

The Tourism Ministry declined to state which resorts are to be sold. However, the Ministry did confirm that some 12.4 million US Dollars were due from those seven resorts when the last deadline for payment struck on the 20th of last month.

Tourism Minister said that all steps had been taken to make it easy on the resort owners.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Inaz, Minister of Finance today confirmed the receipt of the letter from the Ministry of Tourism requesting to undertake the task of selling resorts for failure to pay rent and accompanying fines. Minsiter Inaz said that his Ministry was considering how the matter was to be handled.

Minister Inaz said that though it was not the purpose of the government to close, forfeit and sell resort properties, all the money due to the government would be collected in accordance with “the time frames determined for that”.