Tourism-dependent Maldives opens its doors to Indians as number of Covid 19 cases drops

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As the Covid 19 cases continued to drop in India, holiday-deprived citizens can once again plan a vacation in Maldives — a tourism driven economy, on the Indian Ocean.</p>
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Beginning July 15, Indian tourists will be allowed to visit Maldives on a vacation.</p>
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As many as four lakh Indian tourists have already visited the island this year since January. Maldives stopped issuing visas to Indian tourists since mid-May when the number of Covid 19 cases were surging in India.</p>
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The ban on entry for Indian tourists has hit the tourism industry of the country.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/videos-news/india-announces-free-of-cost-tourist-visas-to-lakh-foreigners-99014.html">India Announces Free Of Cost Tourist Visas To 5 Lakh Foreigners</a></strong></p>
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“It has been a huge dent for Maldives, as the island had become a favourite holiday destination for Indians, who typically contribute a significant amount to global tourism industry,” a senior executive with a large tour operator told India Narrative.</p>
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According to Business Standard, India has been the second largest source market for Maldives. “The islands have received over 4,00,000 tourists since start of January. Russia has been the biggest source market followed by India, Ukraine, Germany and Kazakhstan,” the newspaper said.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/maldives-ban-leaves-limited-global-travel-options-for-indian-tourists-121051201274_1.html">Maldives ban leaves limited global travel options for Indian tourists</a></strong></p>
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The number of Indian tourists opting to holiday outside the country has risen exponentially over the last few years. Indian tourists feature among the highest spenders abroad.</p>
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An average visitor spend is expected to increase from $23 billion in 2018 to $45 billion by 2022. According to India Global Business, “in 2000, less than 5 million Indians were heading out of the country, but around 23 million Indians travelled out of the country in 2019.”</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indiaglobalbusiness.com/the-big-story/the-world-gets-ready-for-50-million-indian-tourists-by-2022">The world gets ready for 50 million Indian tourists by 2022</a></strong></p>
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The news platform noted that the UN World Tourism Organisation (WTO), has predicted the number of Indian tourists will increase by 122 per cent to 50 million by 2022. “Even if we discount a part of this due to the unprecedented travel calamity brought about by Covid-19, this is still a humongous number,” India Global Business said.</p>