Deputy Minister of Tourism Naushad Mohamed has stated countries should take note of the success of the Maldives tourism industry and re-open their borders for tourists as well. He made the statement at the Fifth Inter-Island Tourism Policy (ITOP) International Policy Seminar held in South Korea.
During the seminar, Deputy Minister Naushad discussed and shared the Maldives tourism policies that lead to the swift recovery of tourism despite shifting source markets.
The deputy minister noted the Maldives was one of the top three Asian countries to be most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 36% in 2020. However, he said the government made the decision to re-open borders in July last year, as the Maldives is heavily dependent on tourism, and that the GDP has risen by 12% as a result of the decision.
At the seminar, Deputy Minister Naushad shared details on the local tourism industry, such as the discussions to re-open guesthouses and the over 95% vaccination rates in the islands. He also shared the latest statistics, which showed that the average stay of tourists has increased from 6 days to 9.1 days.
He highlighted that over one million tourists have visited the Maldives this year and that the government aims to bring in 1.8 million tourists next year.