The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom has successfully concluded its webinar on recovery of tourism in the Maldives from the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The webinar which was titled “Maldives: COVID-19 and the Transformation of Tourism” was joined by German Bundestag member Speaking at the webinar keynote speaker German Bundestag member Frank Müller-Rosentritt, Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Thoyyib Mohamed, Parliamentarian Ahmed Saleem along with Pick Maldives founder Riaayath Abdul Majeed .

Frank Müller-Rosentritt who served as the keynote speaker stated that the past years have been challenging and volatile, noting on the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the pandemic has affected the lives and way of living for everyone across the globe.

He stated that nations have adopted various strategies to adapt to the pandemic, noting that the tourism sector was particularly affected by the pandemic, noting on how the various lockdowns and restrictions severely affected the tourism sector worldwide.

He then stated that the most hard-hit nations were those most dependent on the tourism sector, such as the Maldives.

Frank Müller-Rosentritt further noted that the Government of Maldives remained proactive in protecting the tourism industry throughout the pandemic, noting on how the Government of Maldives carried out a risk assessment prior to the WHO announcing pandemic status. He then highlighted on how the Government of Maldives introduced the 3-V’s policy, visit, vaccinate and vacation.

He also briefly spoke on the growing number of German travelers to the Maldives prior to the pandemic, which had devastating effect on the local tourism sector. Frank Muller Rosentritt praised President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration for its policies on climate change.

He also noted that Germany supported the Maldives in its efforts to tackle climate change while the Germany Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection provides support for the Government of Maldives in forming its zero-emission strategy. He also stated that he believes that Germany is an important development partner for Maldives and will remain a close ally in the future as well.

The webinar which was moderated by Pick Maldives founder Riaayath Abdul Majeed was then joined by its speakers, Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Parliamentarian Ahmed Saleem and the Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Thoyyib Mohamed.

Riaayath Abdul Majeed welcomed the attendees and spoke on how the pandemic had affected the Maldivian tourism sector and the crisis faced by the island nation due to climate change before introducing and proceeding with the event.

Tourism Minister Dr. Abdulla Mausoom spoke on how the joint efforts between the ministry, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation and the private industry partners ensured that the safety measures against COVID-19 were promptly adopted by the Maldivian tourism sector. He then stated that the ramification of the efforts was that “there was the magical moment when the tourists, told the world that the Maldives is safe,”.

He stated that the strong message that the Maldives was safe, catapulted the Maldives on to the global stage as the leading destination.

Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Thoyyib Mohamed highlighted on how they overcame the challenges due to the pandemic in marketing the Maldives tourism sector. Describing the efforts as “the most difficult task at the most difficult time”, Thoyyib Mohamed stated that they were focused on keeping the Maldives visible.

He attributed the success of their marketing campaign to the joint efforts between the tourism ministry, foreign ministry and industry partners.

He also noted on the challenges faced due to the cancelation on global marketing events. Thoyyib Mohamed stated that the Maldives participated in the ITB Berlin with over 240 representatives and over 100 co-exhibitors whereas in 2020 the fair was held virtually and the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation participated with just 15 companies.

Thoyyib Mohamed further stated that while the online exhibitions helped, the travelling itself had stopped and was a major obstacle. He stated that the result was a huge economic toll as key markets were closed off to the Maldives. He stated that their response to the situation was to shift towards digital marketing.

Speaking at the webinar, parliamentarian Ahmed Saleem stated that “everything” was at stake due to climate change. He emphasized that climate change was not a fiction and that the Maldives is a national laboratory for the world to see the direct effects of climate change. He stated that scientific data indicates that climate change is impacting every sector in the Maldives, noting a decrease in annual rainfall, increasing mean atmospheric temperature, risings sea levels.

Ahmed Saleem further stated that the islands in Maldives are extremely vulnerable to sea level rising and that current records indicate that the sea level was rising on an average of 3.99mm every year. He added that “A millimeter may not sound much but for a nation just 1 meter above sea level, even 1-millimeter increase in sea level would mean so much to us”.

He further noted that the nation as also facing budgetary issues in addressing climate change and the rising sea levels, He stated that it is estimated that $8 billion would be required to just protect the shoreline every inhabited island in the Maldives, a sum which is 4 times larger than this year’s national budget.

Ahmed Saleem continued on to highlight on how climate change and risings sea levels affect the sandy beaches of Maldives which in turn affect the economy. He stated that the tourist resort hotel islands are directly linked to the environment, reiterating on how climate change would directly affect tourism in the Maldives.

At the webinar, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, Thoyyib Mohamed revealed that with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maldives experienced a shift in its traditional core tourism markets as well as emerging markets. He stated that one of the reasons for the success of the Maldivian tourism sector in wake of the pandemic was it’s fine balancing of comfort with safety.

He noted that the decision to remove quarantine requirements for tourists meant that tourism in the Maldives is now an antidote for the stress and isolation faced by visitors from around the world. He further stated that travelers are now more interested in disconnecting from the internet and connecting with nature and family in the Maldives.

Thoyyib Mohamed further noted that there has been a raise in the interest and demand for the laid bare-foot experiences. He also revealed that the average duration of stay for travelers has also increased since the pandemic began back in 2020.

He continued on to note on the rising number of arrivals, stating that pre-pandemic, 166,000 travelers form India arrive in Maldives while the number has increased to 291,000 in 2021. Thoyyib Mohamed also stated at the webinar that the Maldives will not be focusing on single market groups but will be diversifying its market groups to various regions around the world.

Dr. Abdulla Mausoom also highlighted at the webinar on current regulations pertaining to investment in the tourism industry. He stated that the now, 100% foreign investments are allowed in the Maldives. He also stated that businesses can invest in transport networks, infrastructure as well as real-estate tourism.

The webinar was held live on 07 February 2022, organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. To watch the full webinar, click here.