Maldives will be one of the first to initiate vaccine tourism: Minister

Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has confirmed that the Maldives will be among the first of the world's nations to initiate vaccine tourism for travelers amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking on the floor of the People's Majlis, the tourism minister said that plans were being developed to initiate “3V tourism” in the Maldives; while the “3V” stands for “Visit, Vaccinate and Vacation”, it will give travelers the option to get vaccinated against Covid-19 in the Maldives. Minister Mausoom expressed hope that this would further promote the Maldives as a safe destination for tourists traveling despite the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The minister went on to add that as tourists would also need to get two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, it would be highly advantageous for the tourism sector as they would need to stay in the Maldives for several weeks to be successfully immunized against Covid-19.

While a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme was initiated in the Maldives at the beginning of February, efforts are now underway to have employees working in the tourism sector immunized against the virus. This will include those working in resorts, as airport representatives and those engaged in the local and guesthouse tourism industry. The Ministry of Tourism is now working to facilitate vaccination for resort employees without them having to leave the resort and attend a vaccination center in person.

10,000 employees working in the tourism sector are expected to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in the first phase of vaccination.

Minister Mausoom highlighted that employees of resorts being vaccinated would not only ensure their health and safety, but also further market the Maldives as a safe travel destination for tourists.

Mausoom has previously detailed that while the global travel and tourism sector is slowly recoviering from the initial, devastating impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine-certified tourism would help elevate the tourism industry to new heights. Minister Mausoom assured that the Maldives would be working to achieve this goal with other countries of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Despite this, Minister Mausoom acknowledged that the supply of vaccines was currently much shorter than global demand. He said that this was the main barrier to initiate vaccine tourism in the country, and that the first priority would always be to have doses administered to those living in the Maldives.

Maldives aims to welcome 1.5 million visitors this year.