The World’s Leading Destination is Ready, Are You?
Sunday 21st of February 2021
When the Maldivian borders had to be forced shut in March 27, 2020, no one had foreseen such harsh measures driving the biggest income generating sector of the country to a complete halt. From thousands of guests arriving every day and keeping the airport grounds running, it took one decision to spread pin-drop silence on the floor.
However, Maldivians did not give up. The government and all stakeholders came to the table to quickly adapt stringent measures across all touch points and come up with a series of measures rolled out nationwide to get the industry up and running again. By July 15, the efforts led to borders opening again, slowly restarting the flights back to the destination. This was the beginning of good things rolling in favor of Maldives again, a country that braved through COVID-19 and became the fist Asian destination to fully open its borders.
Slowly but surely, guests arriving to the destination were assured of the stringent safety measures in place, verified by WTTC by awarding the destination with the Safe Travel Stamp in September 2020. This gave way to hopes rekindling for a busy festive season, as more beds were permitted back to operation across resorts and guesthouses.
Significant achievements were seen in setting up COVID testing facilities in hotspot locations and opening of new airports in the northern region of Maldives, inviting more opportunities for exploration. In time, guests were allowed entry with a negative PCR test and no quarantine, in addition to split-stay between establishments in efforts to increase duration of stay. Moreover, the nation announced a first -of-its-kind in the world loyalty programme with the launch of Maldives Border Miles.
With united efforts across the industry, Maldives wound up an unprecedented 2020 with a whopping 555,399 tourists touching down amidst a global pandemic. This aside, a number of resorts and guesthouses in the destination were crowned multiple prestigious accolades by highly sought-after international awards in the industry. The Maldives is the World’s Leading Destination of 2020 by World Travel Awards.
Maldives is thrilled to have received much love among its guests visiting time and again to its dreamy shores. As we welcomed over 90,000 visitors in the month of January alone, stakeholders are ambitious to reach 1.5 million tourist arrivals by the end of the year. These efforts are further strengthened by the recent commencement of COVID vaccination for all frontline hospitality staff in the country.
The sunny side of life is filled with authentic and whimsical experiences for all types of travellers. Explore the best deals and make your way to the safest haven on earth right now, to pamper yourself and your loved ones for a well-deserved 2021.
Photos: Visit Maldives on social media