Tourism industry still at downturn after end of state of emergency

While President Abdulla Yameen has ended the 45-day long state of emergency, the Maldives industry is still at a downturn, warns some industry officials.

While the Government has reported that tourist arrivals have not reduced, the industry officials have said that they are seeing the lowest number of tourist arrivals since 2004 when a tsunami struck the country.

A resort’s general manager said they are barely getting by by giving discounts and upgrading customers’ accommodations. He said that the resorts and guesthouses took a hit during the state of emergency, but that the booking rates still remain low.

Yoosuf Riffath, COO of Capital Travel & Tours, said the future outlook for Maldives tourism remain bleak.

“99 percent of Maldivian resorts are now holding sales. While tourists go to guesthouses for their cheap rates, resorts occupancy remain low. We have to give out rooms at low prices.”

Riffath said that some Asian countries have advised citizens to avoid going to Maldives, and that European tourist arrivals will also decrease.

Another senior official of a prominent Maldives hotel said that some European airlines have cancelled hotel bookings, and that some guesthouses have lost around MVR 100,000 to MVR 200,000 from booking cancellations.