Visit Maldives spent more than MVR 800,000 to bring founder of Fly Zone Fishing Robert “Fly” Navarro, football journalist Fabirizo Romano and actor Taz Skylar.
They were appointed as global ambassadors to promote Maldives tourism. Adhadhu submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request to seek details of the ambassadors.
In response, Visit Maldives said barter system MoUs were signed with the three male ambassadors while a contract agreement was signed with the Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif.
Under the MoUs, Visit Maldives covers the cost of the trip to the Maldives. In return, the ambassadors are obliged to promote the Maldives on their platforms.
Visit Maldives paid MVR 552,907.53 for Skylar's visits. These include production team's travel expenses, various activities during their vacation and green tax.
Skylar is a British-Spanish actor who plays Sanji in the Netflix live-action series One Piece.
Visit Maldives also spent MVR 85,716.85 on Navarro's ticket to the Maldives, while MVR 204,654.24 was spent on Fabrizio and his team's tickets.
Visit Maldives said the company did not cover the cost of their stay and meals because they were arranged by various parties in the tourism industry.
According to the company, the ambassadorial agreement with Skylar will be in place for two years. Fabrizio and Navarro have signed one-year deals.
