The Maldives Unveils Bold Plan to Boost Tourism
The Maldives has unveiled a bold plan to resuscitate its struggling tourism industry.
Speaking to CNBC this week, Maldivian Tourism Minister Abdulla Mausoom revealed that the postcard-worthy South Asian country plans to incentivize travel by offering coronavirus vaccines to international visitors — once all Maldivian citizens have had the chance to be vaccinated.
This innovative tourism campaign — the first of its kind — is nicknamed “3V”, for “Visit, Vaccinate, Vacation.”
“The main idea of tourism being open is to provide a reasonably safe tourism with minimum inconvenience,” Mausoom said (via Condé Nast Traveler). “So once the country gets vaccinated, then we will move on to ‘3V’ tourism.
“We have got enough supply for the local population, the resident population, so once that is done … we will have enough.”
The Maldives has already vaccinated 90 percent of its frontline workers, while roughly 50 percent of the country’s total population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
The country’s aggressive vaccination strategy is linked to its dependence on the tourism industry, which accounts for roughly 28 percent of its gross domestic product.
Last year, at the height of the pandemic, the country welcomed just 550,000 travelers, representing a steep decline from 2019, when 1.7 million travelers arrived on its shores.
According to Mausoom, the hope is that by offering vaccination to visitors, The Maldives can expedite the recovery of its tourism industry. Its tourism board aims to welcome 1.5 million tourists in 2021, and as of mid-April, has already cleared the 350,000 mark.
Even if it reaches that goal, however, The Maldives will still fall short of pre-pandemic levels.
“When we reach this year’s target [of 1.5 million], still we will have a shortfall of what the country needs,” Mausoom explained.
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