Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has assured no additional fees will be introduced to be charged from tourists when the Maldives reopens the borders once the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled.
The tourism ministry released a statement to clarify concerns regarding an additional fee which was to be charged from tourists once borders are reopened. The ministry stated no additional fees will be charged from tourists upon reopening borders, which is expected to happen in July.
The statement comes at a time when the head of Market Intelligence and Competitiveness Department at World Tourism Association also called on the government not to introduce additional fees in a webinar attended by officials from the Ministry of Tourism. Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed also agreed to the idea of not introducing taxes as tourism restarts.
Ministry of Tourism has been making several arrangements to start tourism in the Maldives and revive the industry as government prepares to welcome tourists into Maldives again. In this regard, the ministry has put in place a plan for resorts, safaris, guesthouses and airports to resume with safety measures. The ministry is also taking suggestions of stakeholders to further revise and improve the plan.