Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has stated tourist bed nights could rise to 10 million in the Maldives this year.
Speaking at the Parliament of the Maldives, Tourism Minister Mausoom said the COVID-19 vaccination drive is a promising development for the Maldivian tourism industry. He said the early commencement of the vaccination programme in the Maldives will help to attract more tourists to the country. He said although the government initially projected 1 million tourist arrivals for this year, the figure is now projected at about 1.5 million.
The tourism minister further stated the success in recovering the tourism sector would be better measured by the number of bed nights, which is directly linked with the income to the tourism industry. He said the number of bed nights could rise to 10 million this year, considering the vaccination drive in the country.
Minister Mausoom further stated the tourism ministry is currently focusing efforts on developing tourism in the northern and southern regions of the Maldives. As such, he noted two important resorts in Addu are yet to be opened. He said a special package will be introduced to promote the southern zone, while chartered flights will also soon be landing at Gan International Airport in Addu City.
As per the latest statistics of the tourism ministry, 614 tourist facilities in the Maldives have resumed operations since the reopening of borders in July last year. This represents a bed capacity of over 43,000.