Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom has stated the COVID-19 insurance packages introduced in the Maldives have helped to boost tourist arrivals in the country.
Speaking to CNBC International on the progress of the Maldivian tourism industry since reopening borders, Tourism Minister Mausoom said one of the biggest lessons learned during the pandemic was that general travel insurance packages provided to tourists do not work during special situations like this. Therefore, he said the Maldives took an important decision to introduce a special COVID-19 insurance package in order to boost tourist arrivals following the reopening of borders. He noted the packages have played an important role in raising the number of tourist arrivals over the past few months.
Allied Insurance Private Limited launched an insurance policy called Allied Inbound in October, to cover medical charges, isolation facility charges and emergency medical transportation charges which may follow a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 of a tourist during their stay in the Maldives. Allied Insurance stated any visitor who is not a citizen or does not hold a valid resident visa of the Maldives will be eligible for this plan.
Allied Insurance revealed the main priority while designing the policy was to make it available for tourists at an affordable rate.