(CNN) – Although border restrictions and quarantine measures prevent people from visiting many of the world’s most popular tourist destinations right now, a country famous for its natural beauty now welcomes all guests – the Maldives.
As of July 15, this island nation in the Indian Ocean has reopened to international tourism and, perhaps remarkably, very few conditions are attached.
Global travelers, including US citizens, will not have to be quarantined upon arrival at Velana International Airport in the capital, Male. They also will not need to provide evidence that they have tested negative for coronavirus.
There are also no new visa requirements or additional fees to pay.
An island, a resort
Initially, international visitors will only be able to enter the tourist islands and must book their entire stay in a registered establishment.
Exemptions will only be made for transit arrangements, in accordance with Maldivian government guidelines.
In terms of Covid-19 prevention, tourism officials count on the fact that each resort essentially already offers its own form of quarantine, albeit a rather nice one.
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The Maldives is made up of 26 atolls filled with more than 1,000 islands occupied by dozens of resorts, all spread over 90,000 square kilometers.
Most of the islands in the Maldives developed for tourism have a single resort. In the event that guests or staff come in contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19, they are theoretically easily traceable, while the potential for spread is kept to a minimum.
But as tempting as it may seem to get on a plane to the Maldives right now, travelers may have to deal with their own country’s quarantine measures on their return, and that could deter them from visiting.
“What is important to note is that it depends not only on the Maldives, but also on lifting travel restrictions in different countries. It is not just about desire but about skill,” says Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and founder of Soneva, which has two Maldives resorts: Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani.
That said, guests are already demonstrating their readiness to return, he tells CNN Travel.
“We have more on the books at Soneva Fushi for August than at the same time last year. As borders open, and our main markets can travel to us, it could be our best August.”
Is there an airline really flying there?
Despite the global aviation recession, it is possible to commercially fly to the Maldives right now, with several major airlines connecting through the Middle East.
These include Emirates Airlines, which offers connections through Dubai from major world cities such as London, Chicago, Toronto and Sydney. Etihad airline, UAE, will resume flights from Abu Dhbai to the Maldives from July 16. Turkish Airlines will tentatively start flights from July 17.
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Please note that just because the Maldives does not require visitors to provide proof that they do not have Covid-19, some airlines do, so be sure to check in advance.
Upon arrival, passengers are asked to fill out health declaration cards and will be provided with a 30-day tourist visa. Travelers displaying Covid-19 symptoms will undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test at their own expense and will be sent to a designated facility for isolation.
Will all resorts reopen on July 15?
Dozens more will reopen in August, and 50 or so plan to follow suit in September and October.
The French hospitality group Accor has five resorts in the Maldives and will open its doors in the coming months.
“We plan to reopen the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort from August 1, followed by the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort in September,” says John Bendtsen, Accor Area General Manager for Maldives.
“Our remaining properties in the Maldives will reopen from October 2020: Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives, Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi and Raffles Maldives Meradhoo.”
So far, the response from the guests has been very positive, albeit cautious, he says.
“We are seeing a real appetite to travel further towards the end of the year with the Christmas and New Year period particularly positive, as well as the first quarter of 2021,” says Bendtsen.
“Travelers who have previously visited the Maldives are much more confident and we are seeing that many returning guests make reservations for the fourth quarter of 2020.”
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In terms of health and safety, the government is issuing “Safe Tourism Licenses” to accredit tourism facilities that comply with specific legislation and safety requirements, such as having a certified doctor on duty and having an “adequate stock” of equipment personal protection.
Some resorts are implementing additional measures to protect guests and staff.
At both Soneva properties, for example, guests will be asked to undergo a Covid-19 PCR test in the private lounge of the brand’s airport before being transferred to their resort by plane. Once in the complex, you will go directly to your villa and will be asked to remain there until the test results are received and are negative.
If the results of a guest are positive, they will be asked to isolate themselves in their villa, where they will be attended by trained nurses.
“During the first week of stay, we also ask guests to perform one more real-time PCR test,” says Shivdasani.
“Although this might be considered a bit excessive or overly cautious, at Soneva, all of our islands are ‘One Island One Resort’; it is our goal to make our private island homes Covid-19 free environments, so that our guests can truly relax and interact with our hosts and other guests and feel no concern about the infection. ”
Soneva remained open throughout the pandemic and has followed best practices recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as recommendations from experts in virology and infectious diseases, adds Shivdasani. Improved cleaning and sanitation protocols have also been implemented.
Reopening gives Maldives the “prime mover advantage”
The Maldives has recorded almost 2,000 confirmed cases and five deaths from Covid-19 so far.
In a statement released in May, Ali Waheed, the country’s tourism minister, described the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as “more devastating than the 2004 tsunami and the 2008 global financial crisis.”
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“For the first time in 47 years of tourism in the Maldives, we have experienced zero tourist arrivals since March,” he said, before adding, “We cannot keep our borders closed for very long.”
Eunice Aw, Singapore director of global hotel consulting firm Horwath HTL, tells CNN Travel via email that the Maldives tourism industry has proven resilient, recovering quickly from previous crises, however the country faces an uphill battle as you unlock your border towards All Visitors.
“Given the fact that Covid-19 is unprecedented, in the future, even with the reopening of borders, visitor arrivals are not expected to increase and overall arrivals in 2020 are estimated to drop by approximately 70 to 75% year after year, “he says.
“This takes into account the pandemic situation in many of the main Maldivian source markets, such as China (17%), India (10%), Europe (49%) and the United States (3%), where countries still they are trying to contain the pandemic or the battle against the second or third wave of infection. ”
On top of this, Europe, its largest market, is 10 to 12 hours away, and long-haul recovery is likely to lag behind short-haul travel, he adds.
“The recovery of tourism must be supported by the resumption of international flights, reciprocal travel arrangements with partner countries, the relaxation of quarantine / isolation requirements in the countries of origin of the visitors and the recovery of the confidence of travelers to travel.
“However, the reopening of its borders in July will give the Maldives the advantage of being the first to capture the pent-up demand from tourists once the recovery is underway.”
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