Borders could be reopened in June, tourism recommenced in October

The borders of the Maldives could finally be reopened in June, and tourism activities can be recommenced in October, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer has stated.

Tourism, the main industry of the Maldives has been at a complete standstill due to the pandemic COVID-19 virus. Most resorts in the country are closed while the country has stopped issuing on-arrival visas to tourists in late March.

Speaking in a presser today, Minister Ameer stated that the government has come up with five scenarios based on surveys when the tourism industry is reopened. The Minister stated that it was likely that the virus could be controlled in the months between June and October.

“From July onwards, we can begin easing some of the measures, even if that doesn’t mean we reopen our airports.” Said Minister Ameer.

Details of the five scenarios presented by Minister Ameer:

Minister Ameer stated that the most likely scenario was when the government was able to issue on-arrival visas from July onwards and to reach a tourist arrival of 845,546 for the year 2020. Although this was the most likely scenario, this still meant that the country would see a 50 percent reduction of arrivals compared with previous years. This is in Scenario 3.

Another scenario was where the country was reopened in May and attract 962,398. This was the most beneficial scenario that could occur. This is Scenario 1.

Scenario 2 is where the country is reopened in June and attracts a total tourist arrival of 883,288.

If Scenario 4 occurs, the country could only be reopened in October and receive just 626,082 tourists, a reduction of 63 percent.

Scenario 5, is the most detrimental to the country. In this scenario, the country is to be reopened in January 2021. This means that the country would not see any more tourist arrivals in 2020 except for the 382,678 tourists it welcomed before the COVID-19 situation. This is a disheartening scenario, due to the fact that the Maldivian tourism industry was on a rise before being hit with the virus.