Ministry of Tourism has removed the additional fees stated under the safe tourism guideline, which were to be taken from tourists once tourism operations resume in the Maldives.
The tourism ministry made the decision after conducting discussions with stakeholders of the tourism industry on implementing the guideline in the Maldives. The discussions were attended by Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed and senior staff of the ministry in addition to industry stakeholders including Maldives Association for Tourism Industry (MATI).
The guideline originally stated all private jets and chartered flights arriving in the Maldives will be charged a landing fee of USD 50,000, in addition to a special visa fee of USD 100 along with another USD 100 for a PCR test to be done on arrival. However, these fees have been removed upon discussions with stakeholders of the industry.
The ministry is holding discussions with several tourism stakeholders to revise the drafted guidelines on commencing safe tourism. The ministry said it is also holding one-to-one meetings, aimed at sharing information about the draft and clarifying concerns from the stakeholders. All the stakeholders have been invited to submit their suggestions to the draft by May 25.
The guideline drafted by the ministry includes specific organisational procedures as well as precautionary and safety instructions for visitors, once tourism operations resume in the Maldives following the COVID-19 pandemic.