Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has stated the top priority right now must be to contain the spread of COVID-19 with stringent measures, noting measures to increase tourist occupancy must come later.
Tourism Minister Ali Waheed made the statement while speaking at the Global Tourism Coordination Virtual Meeting organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Minister Ali Waheed is the chair of the South Asia Region Commission.
In the meeting conducted via video teleconferencing, the minister highlighted the importance of staying positive in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, adding worldwide unity is very important in order to win the fight. He stated no country or community must consider themselves safe from the virus and hence, must prepare for the hit as best as possible.
The minister further stated Maldives will overcome the impact of the virus with the assistance and support of other countries. He noted the Maldivian government has been taking important and timely measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Maldives.
Furthermore, the minister said this is the time for the international community to get together in the fight against COVID-19. He said Maldives hopes to overcome the situation in the near future, expressing hope to open the country to welcome tourists soon.
The virtual meeting was attended by top stakeholders including the Secretary-General of UNWTO, Director of WHO, Secretary-General of ICAO and the Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council. Tourism Ministers of Spain and Saudi Arabia also addressed the meeting under special intervention.
During the meeting, members decided to formulate a crisis committee to attend to current and future crises. Formulating a short and long-term rescue plan was also an important outcome of the meeting.