More than 20 resorts in Maldives reopened Tuesday, as the tourism-dependent island nation tries to rebuild its hard-hit economy in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Only 15 out of the 150 plus licensed resorts were in operation when the Maldives reopened its borders on July 15.

Twenty-four resorts reopened in July after the border reopening, followed by another 22 on August 1.

The resorts that began welcoming guests on Tuesday include:

• Kandima Maldives
• Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa Maldives
• Gili Lankanfushi
• Dhigufaru Island Resort
• Meeru Island Resort & Spa
• Veligandu Island Resort & Spa
• Champa Central Hotel
• Kudadoo Maldives Private Island
• Hurawalhi Maldives
• Komandoo Island Resort
• The Nautilus Maldives
• Milaidhoo Island Maldives
• Filitheyo Island Resort
• Amari Havodda Maldives
• Constance Moofushi
• Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives
• Adaaran Club Rannalhi
• Adaaran Select Meedhupparu
• Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi (surfers only; regular visitors from October)
• Heritance Aarah
• Summer Island Maldives
• Embudu Village

Mirihi Island Resort will also reopen its doors on September 15.

No entry restrictions

The Maldives reopened its borders to visitors on July 15.

With the border reopening, 30-day free on-arrival visa is issued to all tourists who has a confirmed booking for a stay at any registered tourist facility in the country.

There is no mandatory quarantine or testing on arrival. Tourists have to complete a health declaration form only.

But visitors with symptoms of the Covid-19 respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus or those travelling with someone who has similar symptoms are tested at their own expense.

The coronavirus outbreak has hit the Maldivian economy hard, as travel restrictions and other preventive measures affect the country’s lucrative tourism industry, which contributes the bulk of the island nation’s state revenue and foreign reserves.

Before the pandemic, the government had been bullish about tourism prospects, targeting two million, high-spending holidaymakers this year after last year’s record 1.7 million.

However, only 382,760 tourists visited the Maldives before the country closed its borders on March 27. It was a 40.8 per cent decline over the 646,092 that visited the Maldives from January to March last year.

With arrival numbers falling, several resorts across the Maldives were closed.

Meanwhile, the government’s best case scenario now puts total tourist arrivals for 2020 at around 500,000. 

Tourism has been the bedrock of the Maldives’ economic success. The $5 billion-dollar economy grew by 6.7 per cent in 2018 with tourism generating 60 per cent of foreign income.

However, the government is at present projecting a possible 13 per cent economic contraction this year — an estimated $778 million hit.

On March 8, Maldives reported its first cases of the novel coronavirus, as two hotel employees tested positive for Covid-19 at a luxury resort in the archipelago.

Eighteen more cases — all foreigners working or staying resorts and liveaboard vessels except five Maldivians who had returned from abroad — were later identified.

A six-case cluster of locals, detected in capital Male on April 15, confirmed community transmission of the coronavirus. Several more clusters have since been identified, bringing the total number of confirmed case in the Maldives to 7,804.

Twenty-nine deaths have been reported, while 5,152 have made full recoveries.

The Maldives announced a state of public health emergency on March 12, the first such declaration under a recent public health protection law.

The public health emergency declaration allowed the government to introduce a series of unprecedented restrictive and social distancing measures, including stay-at-home orders in capital Male and its suburbs, a ban on inter-island transport and public gatherings across the country, and a nationwide closing of government offices, schools, colleges and universities.

Non-essential services and public places in the capital such as gyms, cinemas and parks were also shut.

Restaurants and cafes in the capital were asked to stop dine-in service and switch to takeaway and delivery.

A nationwide shutdown of all guesthouses, city hotels and spa facilities located on inhabited islands was also ordered.

These measures allowed authorities to contain the outbreak.

The restrictions are now being eased in phases, with the third phase measures now active.

For a complete list of resort reopening, please follow this link.