Maldives Tourism Minister, Ali Waheed has urged commonwealth countries to re-open their borders for safe international travel.
During the virtual seminar with senior officials from Commonwealth countries on “COVID-19’s Impact on Tourism, Debt, and Disaster Risk Management”, Minister Ali Waheed said that the Maldives has experienced the worst economic downfall in recent history. The country is estimated to have a negative 26% economic growth this year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister noted that the country is heavily dependent on tourism and for the first time in 47 years of tourism in the Maldives, the country is experiencing zero tourist arrival since March 2020.
To support the governments’ effort to flatten the curve, 26 tourism establishments with nearly 3000 beds are being used for quarantine and isolation purposes.
Moreover, the Minister also highlighted the governments green and inclusive policy for recovery and “guidelines for restarting Maldives Tourism” from July 2020. Minister requested support from the Commonwealth nations in combating the challenges for safe international travel and to restart the economic activities in the countries.
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