Operational tourist facilities across Maldives surpass 900

Four guesthouses reopened doors to tourists over the past week, with which the number of operational tourist facilities nationwide has exceeded 900.

The latest weekly statistics publicized by the Ministry of Tourism reveal that a total of 903 facilities are currently operational nationwide, of which 160 are resorts, 589 are guesthouses, 10 are hotels and 144 are liveaboard vessels.

The guesthouses that resumed operations between October 27 – November 3 are one in Haa Dhaal atoll, one in Baa atoll, one in Alif Alif atoll and one in Vaavu atoll.

By Wednesday, 51,812 operational beds span across the facilities, of which 37,352 are in resorts, 11,614 are in hotels and guesthouses and 2,846 are in safari vessels.

Maldives has a capacity of 1,107 tourist facilities which include 157 safari vessels, 783 hotels and guesthouses and 167 resorts. This means that of the total facility-capacity, 13 safari vessels, seven resorts, 184 guesthouses and hotels are yet to resume operations.

Tourists who have not completed the Covid-19 vaccination will be barred from checking into guesthouses established in residential islands, according to a recent publication by the Maldives Health Protection Agency (HPA). As such, only those who have passed the limit of 14 days after completing both doses of the vaccine can check in to local guesthouses.

Maldives reopened borders on 15 July 2020, nearly four months since borders were closed and at first, resorts and liveaboard vessels were given the green light to begin operations. Guesthouses outside of the Greater Malé Region were permitted to resume operations on 15 October 2020. Authorities allowed the reopening of guesthouses in the capital region on 14 December 2020.