The champions of marketing and promoting Maldives’ tourism internationally are those in the private sector, says Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom.

In an appearance on RaajjeTV’s ‘Fashaairu’ programme, the minister shed light on the important work being carried out by the private sector and Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) in marketing the destination, popular among zealous travelers for its picturesque beaches and crystalline waters.

Highlighting that the most important thing now is to assure tourists that the island nation is a safe destination, Dr. Mausoom noted that the government will leave no stone unturned.

Further, he added that discussions are underway to open the destination to the Chinese market, which is one of the top source markets for tourism in the island nation.

While guesthouses outside the greater Malé region are expected to commence operations on October 15, the minister stressed on the importance of ensuring the establishments adhere to guidelines and safety regulations set by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Permits will be issued for guesthouses to begin operations under the approval from the island councils, HPA guidelines as well as the instructions from the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC).

On March 14, the government halted bookings for foreign travelers in guesthouses in the capital region in accordance with the orders by the Director General of Public Health, Maimoona Aboobakuru as per Article 34 of the Public Health Protection Act.

There are a set of conditions under which guesthouses will be resuming operations and this will be done under guidelines and instructions provided by the relevant authorities and the government aims to carry out the procedure in a way that sets an example globally.

On July 15, the government reopened borders for international travel after over three months since borders were closed on March 27. Maldives has seen over 16,000 tourist arrivals since border reopening.

In comparison to the previous month, the daily rise in Covid-19 cases reported during September has observably been decreasing. As such, Maldives has been reporting an average daily increase lower than 100 cases in the region, in the past few weeks.