How Maldives Safely Brought Tourists Back During The Pandemic

The exquisite island nation, Maldives, is a popular holiday destination. Consequent to widespread of the coronavirus in the country, a travel ban was imposed early into the year, and lasted almost four months. For an economy which is heavily reliant on the tourism sector for income, this was a huge blow. When tourist activities resumed on 15^th July, the number of tourist arrivals remained relatively low for due to decrease in demand for travel and tourism in the light of safety concerns. Fast forward to December, Maldives have safely welcomed back over 100k tourists since then and the country’s Minister of Tourism discussed all about it during a special interview with CNBC.

Firstly, the good health of every tourist is the priority for all tourism industry stakeholders in the Maldives. The geographical formation of Maldives helps in this regard in addition to strict safety measures in force. However, he safety requirements for tourists holidaying in Maldives will be slackened following the vaccination process for COVID-19.

Apart from this, several marketing campaigns have been launched to reestablish the destination presence across different countries and regions.

The Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, stresses on the influx of tourist arrivals since October with the country hitting 100k tourist mark following the border reopening just last week. Industry experts are anticipating that the number of arrivals will climb up to the 500k sometime this week as it is the holiday season.

Presently, about 75% of all tourist establishments are in operation. The Minister adds that services are provided in the most environment-friendly way possible. Furthermore, in the way forward, the government will be ensuring the conversation and protection of the island nation’s environment.
Lastly, the Minister stated that he hoped 2021 will be a very successful year for tourism. The country aims to welcome 1.5 million tourists in the span of the next year.