Four more guesthouses resume services across Maldives

Four more guesthouses have resumed services across the Maldives.

The latest weekly statistics publicized by the Ministry of Tourism revealed that a total of 1,182 tourist accommodation facilities are currently operational across Maldives, with a total of 58,467 tourist beds.

The total number of operational beds span across resorts, hotels, guesthouses and live-aboard vessels including 40,053 in resorts, 1,616 in hotels, 13,884 in guesthouses and 2,932 in live-aboard vessels.

Operational facilities include 164 resorts, 851 guesthouses, 12 hotels and 155 live-aboard vessels.

Over the past week, one live-aboard vessel alongside a guesthouse in Fuvahmulah City shut down operations. The four guesthouses that resumed services are one in Maroshi island of Shaviyani atoll, one in Fehendhoo island in Baa atoll and two in Dhigurah island of Alif Dhaal atoll.

Maldives currently has a capacity of 1,188 tourist facilities which include 155 safari vessels, 863 hotels and guesthouses and 170 resorts. This means that of the total facility-capacity six resorts are yet to resume operations.

The Tourism ministry on January 1 facilitated the introduction of Homestay in the Maldives as well, with the first of its kind opened in Dhiggaru island of Meemu atoll. This comes under the President’s tourism development vision and policy to make tourism and its benefits accessible to the island communities as well.

After the Covid 19 pandemic Maldives re-opened borders on 15 July 2020 nearly four months since borders were closed, and at first, resorts and live-aboard 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.