In Conversation With Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director, Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation

With the introduction of the air bubble between India and Maldives and strict safety guidelines being followed at Maldives, it is one of the best holiday destinations to visit from India in the new normal. To know more about how this tropical paradise plans to reopen for tourists fully in the coming months, we got in a conversation with Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, the Managing Director at Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation. Read below as Mr Thoyyib Mohamed explains how Maldives is ensuring the safety of their visitors, reopening tourist attractions, providing aid to the local travel industry and more.

1. Maldives has long been a hub of leisure travel. How has it prepared itself for tourism in the post-COVID world?

The Maldives has remained vigilant in its effort to combat the pandemic. The unprecedented situation caused the borders of the Maldives to be closed on 27th March for the safety of not only the locals but the safety of all our visitors.

With the situation improving borders were reopening on 15th July. Prior to this, the Maldives government has implemented strict safety and prevention measures for covid-19 that the tourist facilities have to adhere to. When we initially open the borders, tourists are only allowed to stay at one establishment during their trip in the first phase of reopening the borders. Still, to encourage and allow tourists to experience more than one resort in Maldives and to enable longer stays in Maldives during their holidays, the Ministry of Tourism in consultation with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has introduced facilitation of ‘split stay’ between resorts.

Furthermore, starting from 10th September, all inbound travellers have to present a mandatory Negative PCR certificate which is done within a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure to Maldives on arrival. Tourists will be allowed to visit the Maldives without any form of quarantine and travellers are required to submit a health declaration card before arrival available online. Temperature checks and screening measures will be carried out at the first point of entry. Travellers showcasing any symptoms of COVID-19 will be subjected to PCR test upon arrival. Additionally, local health authorities would conduct random testing at airports without any additional cost.

The Maldives is opening itself to tourism step by step, observing and monitoring each stage carefully before implementing the next stage both in our country as well as around the world.

2. With various luxury resorts already opened up in Maldives and many scheduled to be opened in the coming months, how is the Ministry of Tourism ensuring a safe stay for incoming tourists? What are the guidelines for the resorts as they open up for travellers?

We are the national tourism board, responsible for promoting the destination.

To ensure the safety of all travellers, all tourist facilities will follow the safety and hygienic measures as stated by the WHO Guidelines and local Health Protection Agency (HPA). Personal hygiene, the usage of masks and social distancing are also encouraged to ensure the safety of both staff and tourists.

With the Maldives being a nation of scattered islands, we are blessed with a unique geographical advantage due to the isolated nature of our islands in providing visitors with an ideal environment during this pandemic to enjoy beautiful surroundings in safety and comfort. Our one-island-one-resorts concept means that the whole island itself would be the resort, and its lone inhabitants would be its staff and their visitors. This further helps in reducing the number of direct and indirect contacts, thus further implementing safe tourism.

We are also pleased to also have our Velana International Airport accredited for as a safe airport by Airport Council International (ACI) Our airport is the 2nd airport in the Asia Pacific region to be accredited under the “Airport Health Accreditation” program.

3. Are there specific zones/islands where travellers are allowed or the entire country is open for travellers?

When we initially open the borders, tourists are only allowed to stay at one establishment during their trip in the first phase of reopening the borders. However, as we wanted our tourists to explore the Maldives more properly during their visit the Ministry of Tourism in consultation with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has introduced facilitation of ‘split stay’ between resorts. “Split Stays” are permitted between resorts that meet all compulsory requirements under the “split stay guideline” approved by HPA. Requests for approval of “split stays” should be submitted to the Ministry of Tourism two days prior to the travelling date.

Currently, tourists are not allowed to visit inhabited islands for now. However, with the situation improving and as the Maldives move forward adjusting to a new normal, the Government will permit reopening of the Tourist Guesthouses on 15th October 2020. In order to do so, both the guesthouse and the island it is located have to be equipped and meet specific health standards to ensure all our tourists can enjoy their stay freely.

4. If an arriving passenger is found to be symptomatic, how is the government of Maldives taking care of the patient or tracing their history to stop further spread of the virus?

As per September 10th, all tourists are required to do a PCR testing prior to departure. If a passenger has fever, cough or shortness of breath on board the flight it should be informed to the local Health Protection Agency. Travellers showcasing any symptoms of COVID-19 will be subjected to PCR test upon arrival.  Contacts who are tourists can be quarantined in their destination resorts until the PCR test result of the patient. Contacts will be released if the patients’ PCR test is negative. If the result of the PCR test is positive, the tourist may continue isolation at the resort or will be transferred to a designated state-run isolation facility.

Moreover, to make contact tracing easier, all tourists are encouraged to install the contact tracing app “TraceEkee” to be able to navigate within the Maldives.  Contact tracing should be done for the symptomatic patient.

5. As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought immense changes in travel trends, what activities/experiences in Maldives are being promoted for travellers to stay safe in “the new normal”?

Along with the opening of the border, we launched a “Rediscover Maldives… the sunny side of life” campaign. The purpose was to welcome our tourists one again and to explore what they have been patiently waiting for. And also, for those who have been or regular visitors to explore sides they have not been able to on their previous visits. Under this campaign, we will be running joint promotions together with media and tour operators, outdoor advertisements, influencer media trips and many more. A series of webinars are also conducted under the rediscover slogan target to travel media where we launched a “dozen must-do experiences in the Maldives” campaign where visitors can further explore the unique offering Maldives caters for tourists. These must-do experiences are some of the selective activities out of many which are worthy to be listed in your bucket list.

6. Tourism is one of the highest contributors to  Maldives’ economy. How is the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives supporting tour operators, travel agents and other stakeholders of the travel industry in these hard times?

The repercussions on tourism due to the pandemic cause multiple issues. However, the Government uplifted and provided support during this time to all those in the sector. Starting for deferment of lease payments up to six months for resorts as a relief measure to cushion the economic blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the tourism industry partners have also provided much-needed support during this time to flatten the curve by opening using their facilities as quarantine facilities during the earlier stages of this period.

One of the most important things during this time was to ensure that people are more educated on how to handle such a situation. Thus, we conducted discussion sessions and brainstorming sessions with stakeholders to understand how to proceed forward. We also conducted a webinar session together with PATA and TripAdvisor. Moreover, to ensure that Maldives is on the minds of our tourists a 4-hour Facebook live event was held together with the industry partners.

7. Does the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives have any staged recovery plans for the upcoming months to revive its tourism industry?

Yes. Together with HPA and Tourist industry leaders, a strategic plan has been created for this time period to ensure that Maldives is safe at the same time ready for tourism.

8. Considering the recently introduced air bubble with India and other nations, what are the projections of the inflow of tourists? Does the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives have any special plans to engage with the Indian audience?

As covid-19 has brought tourism to a standstill, with travel restrictions, Maldives Marketing & Public Relation (MMPRC) has been aggressively targeting Indian audiences in digital platforms, targeting B2B and B2C customers. We have completely changed our marketing strategies according to the evolving situation.

Moreover, the Air Bubble arrangements between India and Maldives will definitely create a path for regularly scheduled flights between the two countries enabling and further strengthening of the traditionally strong people-to-people contact. We are adaptive to the rapid changes by strategically marketing the Maldives to further regain our presences which we had earlier in 2019.

9. Any new experiences coming up in 2021-22 for travellers?

Initially, we started 2020 with high hopes however, due to the current situation strategize our plans and move towards online and digital platforms. Hence, we have moved to virtual activities and launched Rediscover Maldives…the sunny side of life campaign along with webinars series to our source markets.

Furthermore, we have launched “A dozen must-do experiences in Maldives” during the webinar series. We will further reveal our 2021 plans later this year with additional experiences and campaigns.

10. Tell us about a couple of hidden secrets of Maldives which most travellers are unaware of?

It’s no doubt that most people will associate Maldives with the sun, sand and sea as 99% of Maldives is surrounded by clear blue water. However, one hidden gem about the Maldives is actually rich vegetation, which is why in our campaign we highlighted the treehouse adventures as one of the must-do experiences. Coconut palms and an array of shrubbery and mangroves are found typically on the uninhabited islands whereas you can find a range of banana, papaya and breadfruit trees in most inhabited islands. Some islands are also blessed wetlands, which play an indispensable role in protecting the island itself, as it is a barrier against flooding caused by extreme weather. These wetlands are lush and are famous for its abundance of water birds.

11. Your top 5 best things to do in Maldives?

Though it’s an obvious choice, swimming in our clear blue water never gets old. Either you can calmly snorkel in the turquoise lagoons or plunge deep into the dark blue ocean to what is undoubtedly a riotous underwater garden filled with a kaleidoscope marine life. Not only can you swim with them but being a part of a bigger movement, by helping to plant a coral to conserve the environment, gives me even greater joy. Another must spend time enjoying with family and friends at the white sandy beach, tranquil surface of the water as it creates a soft roar as it cashes with the shoreline. Maldives being surrounded by a waste ocean, is also a wonderful place to go sunset fishing, Fish and tastes the fresh BBQ catch under the sky filled with stars is an experience unlike any other. Speaking of food, the Maldivians tastes in a South Asian country like Indian may have its similarities in terms of sharing spices. However, the unique twists and the Maldivian touch and love put into making the dishes cannot be replicated elsewhere. Especially during the festive season where traditional festive foods can make your taste buds melt in local islands.

12. What message would you like to give to Indian travellers who have been willing to travel to Maldives?

Now that borders are opened, we would like to invite and welcome all our friends from India and around the world to explore our beautiful country.

Maldives is well-known for its unique one-island-one-resort concept, which is much needed in light of the current situation. Along with the pristine natural beauty surrounding the resorts, privacy and seclusion are the epitome of what makes it one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world and a safe haven for tourists.

Our shores have certainly missed you and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the sunny side of life once again.