Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has met with the executive board of National Boating Association of the Maldives (NBAM) to discuss concerns related to liveaboard operations as the country prepares to reopen the borders on July 15.
Speaking to PSM News, Vice President of NBAM Ismail Hameed said the discussions majorly involved concerns regarding the guidelines of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for liveaboard operators. Ismail said one major concern of the operators is that individuals arriving at a vessel for maintenance are been required to stay onboard for a period of 14 days while people who travel to resorts can leave the properties after finishing their work. He said the minister promised to facilitate with the HPA to assign a similar policy for liveaboards as well. Additionally, the NBAM requested to allocate restocking and refueling locations or islands as the vessels travel across the country with tourists.
Liveraboards are permitted to resume tourist operations when the borders reopen. However, according to the NBAM, most safari operators are expected to resume operations in August and are preparing to implement safety guidelines issued by the HPA.
Minister Fayyaz attended the meeting with NBAM as the acting Minister of Tourism after Ali Waheed was dismissed from his post last week.