Maldives will be opening its shores to the world from July, after 3 months of restrictions. The pandemic has changed the status quo indefinitely. Lets look into what it will look like in Maldives post pandemic.
1. VIA to be key for inbound tourism success
Velana International Airport will be the first point of contact for the tourists. Airport screening and how airlines can cater to the demand will be important in building trust for the destination. The good news is that Velana International Airport is geared up for the “new normal” with social distancing measures and hygiene measures intensified across the airport.
2. Surge in bookings for top luxury properties
Looking into tourism sector, the top luxury properties will get immediate bookings compared to the properties catering to budget segment. As people start to travel post COVID-19, privacy will become the new luxury. Travel and hospitality brands that cater to this new mindset will reap the rewards of more reservations as well as the added bonus of bookings at higher price points.
3. Local island tourism may not pickup until late this year
Although the timeline proposed by the government to open local island tourism will be from August 1st, 2020, the local island tourism industry will go into recovery around late this year. The thought of vacation will still give itchy feet to travelers and they would want to enjoy far from madding crowds. The impact on aviation could hit budget travelers since many budget airlines across the globes have collapsed. This could take sometime for recovery and impact travelers coming to local islands.
4. Budget segment should target locals
Fear of traveling abroad will be imminent with the local community as well but the budget segment should seize this opportunity. Offers and packages to locals could induce sales for them. Everyone will be in need of a vacation after grappling the lockdowns and uncertainty of the pandemic.
5. There could be a price war among hoteliers
While the beds remain the same, demand will not be like before. Hoteliers cannot maintain with 2019 prices, and they have to come up with attractive prices for tourists. Dynamic pricing will come into play resulting in price wars between hoteliers.
