The Maldives is among the first countries in the world to fully reopen its doors to tourists, while today it is betting on attracting a different kind of tourism, known as "vaccination tourism." Officials in this small nation located in the Indian Ocean have stated that they are arranging plans to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to visitors upon arrival. The Maldives' Minister of Tourism, Abdullah Mousoom, reported that authorities are indeed working on a "triple plan," which includes "visiting, vaccination, and vacation," adding that the Maldives intends to provide two doses of the vaccine, meaning that benefiting tourists will need to stay in the small nation for several weeks. He expressed hope that this program would encourage tourism in this enchanting archipelago, which welcomed 1.7 million visitors in the year prior to the pandemic.
However, vaccinating tourists and visitors in the Maldives will only begin once the country’s authorities have managed to vaccinate the entire population, which does not exceed 550,000 residents. According to the Maldives' Minister of Tourism, the goal is to ensure safe tourism without any obstacles. He indicated that about 53% of the population has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the vaccination rate among those working on the front lines of tourism has reached 90%.
Data from Michigan State University indicates that tourism contributes 28% to the GDP of this Asian country, which is the highest percentage in the world. In the last year, which experienced the COVID-19 outbreak, the country received 555,000 tourists, while authorities had anticipated only 500,000.
