Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has stated the health and well-being of the public remains the number one priority of the government, despite the harsh economic consequences of shutting down borders.
Speaking at a webinar titled, Commonwealth Tourism during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Immediate Responses and Future Opportunities, the tourism minister said the Maldives has taken several important measures to safeguard the public from the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the immediate and effective measures have helped to reduce the infection rate and save lives in the Maldives.
The minister further said the Maldives is one of the worst-hit countries in terms of economic impact of COVID-19, as the economy is highly dependent on the revenue generated from tourism. He said as the government rolls out plans to reopen borders once the COVID-19 situation is brought under control, the number one priority remains ensuring the health and well-being of the public.
The webinar was attended by several senior officials of Commonwealth member states and prominent companies in the tourism industry. During the webinar, discussions were held on ways to develop tourism and making sure tourist destinations are safe. Discussions were also held on promoting local tourism in countries instead of reopening borders for international tourists.
Two separate panel discussions were held during the webinar. While the tourism minister took part in the panel discussion on the efforts of the tourism industry to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed took part in the panel discussion on the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the tourism sector of small island nations.