The Tourism Minister, Hon. Ali Waheed has said that the government is in the process of eliminating Covid-19 and commence “Safe Tourism” in The Maldives within the next three months.
Speaking in an online session of the Economic Committee of the parliament, Minister stated that the governments aims to make Maldives the first Covid-19 free country in Asia and they are researching on ways to initiate “Safe Tourism” in the country after the elimination period.
The Minister highlighted that the government’s first and foremost priority is the safety of the citizens of the Maldives and that the government was taking steps to ensure that the businesses of investors do not disintegrate. He stated that the government will work to help the business affected by the pandemic to recover, while keeping safety of the country and its citizens as the first priority.
He also mentioned that the governments target of two million tourist arrivals is completely halted due to the global pandemic and that it is his hope if things go according to the plan, then they can start welcoming tourists in the last quarter of the year. The Minister noted that the situation in Maldives is better compared to some of the neighbouring and European countries, which he attributed to the stringent measures undertaken by the Health Protection Agency and the Government of Maldives.
“We still view this situation as the edge of the storm cloud. Until a vaccine is found, we should not lose focus and get distracted from the seriousness of the situation,” the Minister added.
