Maldives Could Be Amongst First to Restart Tourism

Tuesday 5th of May 2020

Maldives Could Be Amongst First to Restart Tourism

Countries like the Maldives will be included in the first countries to restart their tourism industry after COVID19 recovery and ease of travel restrictions around the world, according to a former United Nations official. Xu Jing, the former Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), said that the scattered nature of resorts in the Maldives make it easier for the Indian Ocean tourist paradise to begin welcoming visitors again.

Responding to Quest Means Business program that featured Maldives’ Tourism Minister, Xu Jing said: ‘Countries like Maldives will be among first batch to welcome back tourists in my opinion, as the resorts are scattered and not overcrowded. Point to point flights through charters may be an added advantage from its major source markets such as China with QR coded health identity.’

According to Swift media, the coronavirus pandemic has underscored Maldives’ tourism vulnerability. How this Indian Ocean nation strategizes its recovery path in the days ahead could be a good case study for other small island nations heavily reliant on foreign tourist dollars.