The Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is ready to welcome Indian tourists with open arms. If you’ve always wanted to relax and revitalise in the Maldives, you’re in luck!

The Maldives announced on Tuesday that from July 15, it will open its borders to South Asian countries.

In a Tweet on Tuesday, the Maldives tourism ministry said: “Maldives will start issuing on arrival tourist visas starting 15th July to tourists travelling from South Asia. Tourists require negative PCR result to enter Maldives. Further details will follow accordingly.”

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced the government’s decision, however due to the COVID-19 epidemic, this would be reviewed periodically between July 1 and 15.

When the second wave of the pandemic hit, the Maldives, which had become the most popular holiday place for Indians throughout the outbreak, began placing restrictions on visitors from India. From April 27, the archipelago prohibited Indian tourists from staying in tourism facilities on islands populated by locals. Only resorts on isolated islands welcomed Indian visitors. And when the impact of the delta variety was discovered, Maldives put a stop to travel to and from South Asia, including India.

Although SOPs are still being worked out, this is fantastic news for Indian tourists who have been stuck at home and are looking forward to a well-deserved vacation. This year, India was the Maldives’ second-largest source market, accounting for 21% of all arrivals. Since the beginning of January, the islands have welcomed almost 400,000 visitors. The largest source market has been Russia, followed by India, Ukraine, Germany, and Kazakhstan.

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