The prestigious tourism industry of the Maldives is the backbone of its economy. From the onset of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, an immediate stop was put to the industry with the closure of our borders to the world. Since then, we have come to become one of the few destinations in the world to have completely lifted all travel restrictions. So far, we have welcomed over 44k tourists up until last month since the border re-opening in July.
However, travel to Maldives still remains conditional due to the measures taken to novel the COVID-19 pandemic. With respect to this, Ministry of Tourism has set up a helpdesk at Velana International Airport in order to disseminate this information on the spot for tourists arriving to the country. The helpdesk was established yesterday at a ceremony held at Velana International Airport and began its services effective immediately. Mr. Mohamed Shiyam, a person who has spent over 35 years of his life as an airport guide, was given the honor of establishing the help desk. He was joined by the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom in addition to personals from Maldives Airports Company Limited and other stakeholders based in the airport.
The help desk will provide tourists with the latest updates on the guidelines formulated by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Ministry regarding COVID-19. They will also take on the task of being a middleman with regard to communication and solving issues arising between tourists and tourist facilities in addition to government authorities.
(Cover Photoi: MoT)