Ministry of Tourism drafts a guideline to set forth basic procedures that would see the successful resumption of the Tourism industry in the country which has been brought to a standstill amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement the Ministry said that the draft guideline has been shared with industry stakeholders and emphasized that this was just an initial draft. It said that the government’s official policy would only be finalized and published after incorporating comments and suggestions from all industry stakeholders.
The draft guideline titled “Maldives Safe Tourism Guideline’ states that tourists must take a PCR Covid-19 test upon arrival and also must present a negative PCR Covid-19 test dated maximum 7 days prior to landing in the Maldives or a positive antibody test report take maximum two weeks prior to landing in the Maldives. It said these documents must be produced at the designated airport upon arrival.
The guideline also highlights that only resorts issued the Safe Tourism License fee can host tourists when the country re-opens. While a set of standards have been defined for such resorts the guideline mentions that a licensing fee of USD 50,000 is applicable for the issuance of this Safe Tourism License.
The document also states that country’s tourism industry could welcome arrivals by Private jets and superyachts as early as the 1st of June while arrivals by chartered and commercial flights are expected on the 1st of July.
The guideline also foresees that these restrictive measures on the country’s main source of income would be eased on the 1st of September unless extended by the Government.
