Tourism in Maldives Post Border Re-opening on 15th July
Tourism Industry is the backbone of the Maldivian Economy. However, the rapid spike in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 across the country, compelled the government to close its borders for international arrivals, in order to contain the spread of the virus across the country. Consequent to the massive impact it had on the country’s economy, the borders were re-opened as soon as it was deemed safe by the relevant authorities; being on 15th July. Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, describes this situation perfectly in an interview, “When tourism stops, everything stops. We have no choice but to carry on.” Since then, we have come to become the one of only two destinations in the world to have completely lifted all travel restrictions as of September.
Maldives shared this experience to the world through Destination Insight Series; a webinar hosted by PATA in collaboration with BBC World News, discussing on-ground activities and preparations, from operations and logistics to marketing and communications undertaken to restart the tourism industry through stories of those engaged in the sector.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, 223 tourist establishments inclusive of resorts, hotels and vessels have resumed their operations accounting for a capacity of more than 24,000 beds combined as of 6th October. Guesthouse operations are set resume on 15th October, which would effectively re-start local tourism as well.
Statistics indicates that a total number of 18,867 tourists had arrived to the country up until the end of September, evidencing flourishing of the industry in a steady pace.
Maldives assures the safety of tourists and locals as the country holds a ‘Safe Travel Stamp’ granted by World Travel and Tourism Council. Apart from this, our main international airport, Velana International Airport has received ‘Airport Health Accreditation by Airports Council International.
Whilst speaking at the aforesaid webinar, Minister of Tourism has stated that the country expects arrival of more than 100,000 tourists during the remaining days of the year, in the light of the increasing tourist arrivals recorded in the country day-by-day.