Maldives To Reopen For Indian Tourists, Ditches Mandatory Quarantine

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Maldives To Reopen For Indian Tourists, Ditches Mandatory Quarantine

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The Maldives is restarting issuance of on-arrival tourist visas starting July 15 for all South Asian countries, the country’s Ministry of Tourism said in a tweet. The Ministry further added that tourists would only need a negative RT-PCR test report to enter the country. This comes as a pleasant surprise for tourists from India who were banned from entering the tropical island-nation due to the second wave of the pandemic.

The Maldives, also known as Treasure Island, depends heavily on its tourism revenue. Over 4,00,000 tourists visited the Maldives this year, of which Russia is the biggest source market. India serves as the country’s second-largest market by accounting for 21 per cent of all arrivals to the island country this year, reports Business Standard.

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If you wish to have a ‘beachy’ work-from-home experience in the near future, keep these things in mind. Firstpost reports that the mandatory RT-PCR test required for entry must be taken within 96 hours prior to departure. Tourists are also required to submit a health declaration form on the immigration portal 24 hours before travelling, and again before departure. There is no mandatory test or quarantine on arrival. However, people with any symptom will be required to isolate, and if they are from a group, every member will be required to get tested and isolate.

While further details and standard operating protocols (SOP) are awaited, but for now, you can officially start dreaming of a mini-vacation to the Maldives!

Editor’s Note: Keeping the current situation of the pandemic in mind, T+L India recommends every reader to stay safe and take all government-regulated precautions in case travel at this time is absolutely necessary. Please follow our stories on COVID-19 for all the latest travel guidelines.