To make it a safer destination for all, the World’s Leading Destination 2020 has taken stringent measures by imposing a temporary travel ban for visitors from India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, due to the increase in the number of cases in the country and the region. The travel ban also applies to travelers who have spent over 24 hours in transit in the aforementioned countries, as well as those who have visited the said countries in the last 14 days.
Despite this, Maldives still remains a #SafeHaven to the travelers. The country is open to the rest of the world where visitors are granted a 30-day free on-arrival visa with a confirmed booking for a stay at any registered tourist facility in the country. Here’s how Maldives still remains to be the ideal spot to get rid of the pandemic blues.
Secluded getaway with ‘One Island One Resort’ concept
The island nation of Maldives is a naturally self-isolated paradise, with 1192 islands scattered along a length of 871 kilometers. The unique geography of the destination prevents contact between locals and tourists as well as tourists between two resorts. The risk of infection is at residential islands and the capital so when you stay at your resort, you have no worries of local spread into the resort. The islands are beautifully socially distanced from the city and the crowd, which makes it a perfect holiday destination even right now.
Luxury hospitality with top notch safety protocols in place
While the country re-opened on 15th July 2020, the luxury resorts embraced stringent measures to welcome you back with sturdy health and safety protocols to ensure a worry-free holiday. For instance, resorts in Maldives have been offering PCR testing services and all resorts also have designate areas for isolation of the guest if and when required. Every resort is also required to have resident medical officers on site who have undergone HPA certified training on COVID-19 management, isolation procedures and sampling.
If you’re looking for the best of hospitality in the world, Maldives is the spot to be. The destination is home to the biggest hospitality brands throughout the globe which ultimately comes with their own set of safety protocols. The best part? The protocols in place are also transparent to the travelers, giving you a chance to simply enquire about it before actually setting foot in the destination.
No quarantine required – Start your vacay the minute you land in the country
The best thing about heading to Maldives for your post pandemic getaway is that you will not be subjected to any quarantine measures upon arrival. You can start your vacation the minute you set foot in the destination. However, for safety of everyone effective from 3rd May 2021, all inbound travelers are required to present negative PCR test result, with the sample taken not more than 96 hours prior to departure to the country. This includes travelers who have also completed the administration of their 2nd dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The negative PCR test result must be attached while completing Traveler Health Declaration form, which has to be submitted online via IMUGA (www.imuga.immigration.gov.mv), by all arriving passengers before arrival (but not exceeding 24 hours before arrival time).
On-site testing at resorts eases anxiety and hustle for travelers
If you feel that you are symptomatic and need to get tested or if you need get tested before your return flight, you can do so at ease at the resorts. Resorts in Maldives are equipped with in resort testing facilities ensuring you time to fully enjoy your time without the troublesome need to travel out of the island.
In addition to this, with the safety precautions set in place, the destination has managed to keep the tourist COVID cases at bay. The total percentage of tourist COVID cases out of the total arrivals remains at 0.27% (from period of 1st January 2021 to 12th May 2021).
Hospitality at its best with vaccinated employees
Visit Maldives together with the Ministry of Tourism has launched the “I’m Vaccinated” campaign in order to share a positive message regarding the vaccination of staff working in the tourism sector as well as promoting the initiatives undertaken to ensure the Maldives remains one of the safest destinations in the world for travelers.
Under this campaign, the ultimate target is to make Maldives the first fully vaccinated tourism sector in the world. Along with the unique geographical formation of the islands which offer natural physical distancing, and the stringent health and safety measures in place, a fully vaccinated tourism sector will become an added advantage for tourists to visit the destination.
As of 11th May 2021, 48% of the total tourism sector employees have been fully vaccinated while 97% of the workers have received the first dose of the vaccine.
This campaign uplifts the destination’s beautiful name in the global market and reassure travelers that Maldives further remains as one of the safest destinations to travel to during this unprecedented time. In addition, the campaign also ensures travelers from all over the world of the immense effort and investment into ensuring the safety of both the local population and travelers.
