With one more safari resuming services, operational tourist facilities increase

One more live-aboard vessel has resumed services to tourists in the Maldives.

With this development, the total number of operational tourist accommodation facilities across the Maldives has increased to 1,195.

The latest weekly statistics publicized by the Ministry of Tourism revealed that a total of 1,195 tourist accommodation facilities are currently operational across Maldives, with a total of 58,957 tourist beds.

Operational facilities include 166 resorts, 859 guesthouses, 13 hotels and 157 live-aboard vessels.

The total number of operational beds span across resorts, hotels, guesthouses and live-aboard vessels including 40,389 in resorts, 1,616 in hotels, 14,052 in guesthouses and 2,900 in live-aboard vessels.

Maldives currently has a capacity of 1,199 tourist facilities which include 157 safari vessels, 872 guesthouses and hotels and 170 resorts. This means that of the total facility-capacity four 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.

Since then, a few more home stay facilities have been opened.

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.