MALE, July 15 (Xinhua) — A Qatar Airways flight carrying 107 foreigners and 27 Maldivians arrived at the Velana International Airport in the Maldives on Wednesday morning, marking the first arrival of tourists since the country closed its borders on March 27 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Ibrahim Solih, in a message on his official Twitter account said, “The sun is shining again in the Maldives. Our borders are open for visitors once again and the first flight has just landed.”
In a joint press statement, the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation and and Maldives Airport Company Ltd. said, “After almost four months since the suspension of on-arrival tourist visas, the Maldivian tourism industry has re-opened with enhanced precautionary measures against COVID-19.”
#Maldives opens it's borders with the arrival of the First scheduled commercial flight operated by @qatarairways ✈️#HappyToseeYouAgain#RediscoverMaldives pic.twitter.com/iFSAzf6fca
— VelanaAirport (@VelanaAirport) July 15, 2020
“The health and safety of tourists and residents in the Maldives has always been paramount and the resumption of the tourism industry was only given the go ahead following extensive consultations with health professionals and industry stakeholders,” the statement added.
Tourists disembarking from the first flight into the country were greeted by government officials.
According to a 28-page guideline published by the Ministry of Tourism, incoming tourists will be allowed to stay at facilities located on uninhabited islands starting July 15. Facilities on inhabited islands are scheduled to be re-opened on August 1.
President Solih visited Velana International Airport (VIA) on Tuesday to inspect precautionary measures that will be implemented, including screening arrivals for COVID-19 symptoms, enforcing social distancing and good hygiene, and expanding testing capacity.
The Maldives recorded 1.7 million tourist arrivals in 2019 and hopes to attract 850,000 visitors by the end of this year despite shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Maldives confirmed its first COVID-19 infection on March 7 and declared a State of Public Health Emergency on March 12, which has been extended several times, most recently until August 7.
A lockdown on the capital region of Greater Male was imposed on April 15, though restrictions have gradually been eased since June, with businesses including restaurants and cafes re-opening and inter-island transport and congregational prayers resuming by July.
The Maldives currently has 2,801 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 2,302 have made full recoveries and 14 have died.