Tourism Minister Ali Waheed says the government spent only MVR 3000 on the promotion video that featured the minister himself.
In a tweet, the Minister said that MVR 3000 would be paid to the music composer and the rest of the ad was a result of the hard work by Ministry staff.
Ali Waheed said that the total cost of the whole ad USD 194.
This comes after the Minister came under fire for the advert that showcased the natural beauty of the nation with lustrous camerawork and high creation cost.
The 56-second advert was featured in the 3-hours Facebook live event that showcased how the country is gearing up for tourism to restart next July.
In the video, Minister Ali Waheed is seen riding a small motorboat by himself and stopping at a sandbank in the middle of the see. He is videoed picking up a coconut and placing it on a desktop table where he is seen working on a laptop
Minister Ali Waheed narrates the video saying that the Maldives is re-opening back for tourism in July and ends by saying that the ‘Sun will definitely shine again’.
