Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer says the Maldives has proposed the establishment of a ‘Global Trust Fund for Restarting Travel and Tourism’ amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated the sector around the world.
He made the comments while giving his remark at the UN Meeting of the Heads of States and Government-Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the era of COVID-19 and beyond.
The Minister said that the global trust fund would run with support from both the public and private sectors.
He said that the fund will support the enhancement of testing capacity and containments at airports and other tourism facilities. Minister Ameer reiterated that the Fund would also become a standard-bearer for best practices, giving additional confidence to travelers.
The travel and tourism sector around the globe had taken a major hit amid the COVID-19 pandemic that had made international traveling almost impossible at times. With the worst of the pandemic now seemingly over for most tourist destinations, countries are slowly opening their doors to allow visitors from other nations albeit with strict conditions and rules.
The Maldives itself reopened the borders in mid-July and has been welcoming back a steady flow of tourists since then.
Earlier this month, officials in the Maldives had said that Effective from 10th September 2020, all tourists and other short-term visitors are required to have a certificate of the negative PCR test result for COVID-19, with the sample taken 72 hours prior to departure to the Maldives, counting from the first port of embarkation on route to the Maldives.
Officials have also said that possession of a PCR negative test result does not preclude the authorities subjecting such passengers to screening or any other surveillance measures at the points of entry.
They said that the negative PCR test result must be attached while completing the Traveler Health Declaration form, which has to be submitted online via IMUGA (www.imuga.immigration.gov.mv), by all arriving passengers before arrival (but not exceeding 24 hours before arrival time).
Public Health Officials in the Maldives had said yesterday that 23 resorts also have active cases of COVID-19 which includes 11 tourists and 20 staff.
