Maldivian tourism industry witnessed quite the drivel in 2020 when the country was included in the long list of Covid-19 targets.
Earlier in March 2020, the island nation reported its first instances of Covid-19 positive cases. As the cases started mounting, the country’s state was forced to take stringent measures which resulted in the international border closure on 27 March.
This resulted in an abrupt cessation of major tourism markets to Maldives as well as a significant plummet in the tourism industry activities. As many as 11,000 resort workers were reportedly let go on a no-pay basis while several of the resort properties transitioned into Covid-19 quarantine facilities.
It would not be until April of 2020, that the island nation would report widespread Covid-19 outbreak across the mainland. The Greater Male’ Region (Male’ City along with Hulhumale’ and Vilimale’) came under a state imposed lockdown which saw local businesses coming to a standstill.
Many of the local businesses that were heavily bruised included guesthouses, hotels along with cafeterias and restaurants. Some of these businesses have since become obsolete while others are struggling against heading into insolvency.
All was not well in paradise on earth!
However, following almost a 2-month border closure, the country’s government lifted off the gateway restrictions in July 2020. But the tourist influx was still lower throughout the remainder of last year.
The situation started showing signs of improvement earlier in 2021, with a steady influx of international holidaymakers flocking into the island nation. The quarantine measures have been relaxed compared to the restrictions that were in place last year.
Recently the island nation’s central bank, Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) in one of their recent publications revealed that the tourist arrival from January to May 2021 showed a 19% increment in annual terms.
Moreover, occupancy rate by May 2021 was observed at 39% when compared with just 5% in the same month last year.
There’s no denying that though the Covid-19 pandemic may not be done with the rest of the world, the island nation’s tourism industry have somehow managed to make a ‘comeback.’ The question that many are currently posing is whether Maldives tourism industry will head towards a stronger boon or hit a pitfall following a post pandemic scenario.
The island nation of Maldives is blessed geographically to have its islands separated from one another by sea, making transport via land between the islands impossible. The limitation works in favor for a country like Maldives in the case of a widespread pandemic with regards to curbing the said pandemic.
Mostly importantly, it is this specific detail of Maldives that has acted in favor of the country’s tourism atmosphere despite the looming pandemic threat globally.
Unlike several other tourism heavy destinations in the world, Maldives takes advantage from the fact that their tourist resorts are never geographically attached to mainland areas or islands with local inhabitants. This acts as a barrier against disease contact and it is due to this reason the outbreak is easily curbed or concentrated into specific locations.
Countries where tourist properties are inland, centered across towns or cities will face difficulties in attracting holidaymakers so long as these destinations have significant Covid-19 positive cases. This is not the case with Maldives.
Meanwhile, tourists have started leaning more towards sequestered tourist properties which are geographically detached from mainland areas due to the advanced safety measures they are attached with.
This change in tourist behavior has become reflective on the tourist arrival patterns across the globe with more and more holidaymakers favoring tropical destinations with limited means of inland travel or direct contact with local communities.
Based on these factors, Maldives still remains among the top most ideal locations for holidaymakers to visit.
This is all the more evident from the tourist arrival growth to Maldives throughout the current year despite several other global destinations struggling to attract tourists. The strongest sell for Maldivian tourism industry, ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, has been the elevated safety measures.
It would be safe to assume that even in a post-pandemic scenario the potential holidaymakers will be factoring these attributes about Maldivian tourism when planning their vacations. To think that the island nation’s distinct geography will serve as an advantage for its tourism industry, may not have been considered had the world not ‘come under weather’ of the viral contagion.
Moreover, the island nation may expect a tourism boon given several Middle-Eastern markets have started to increase their interest in choosing Maldives as a preferable holiday destination.
Europe had always been a major tourism market to Maldives with regards to different regions, however the peninsula is also rich in several countries with a strong tourism footprint. However, there are several other regions where tourism is not a rich attribute and in these places the locals will focus to destinations outside of their region. This explains why Maldives is slowly gaining popularity among non-European regions such as the Americas or the African countries.
Mostly because several tourism heavy European destinations have their tourist properties inland, which means there are stronger chances of holidaymakers falling victim to viral contagions should another pandemic breaks out.
Maldives is also among the few countries with a rich catalogue of top-tier and budget-tier tourist properties, which makes the country an easy pick for many. Recently it was reported that the island nation will add 20 more tourist properties into its long list of over 130 established resorts – meaning the island nation will have an even wider range of properties to offer.
The sense of ‘escapism’ that holidaymakers are attracted to, and the confirmed safety ensured through tourist resorts with proper disease screening methods as well as the affirmation of their privacy is mostly what makes Maldivian tourist properties stand out.
A post-pandemic scenario will most definitely elevate these attributes about the island nation’s tourism industry – which would eventually be its strongest selling point right beside the pristine qualities the islands provide.
