The guesthouses in the Maldives have reopened after seven months and they have welcomed the first tourists to stay at the properties.

A special ceremony was held this morning at Kaafu Atoll Maafushi to welcome tourists to the guesthouses after the government approved the reopening of the guesthouses.

The special guest at the ceremony was the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom.

President of the Maafushi Island Council, Usman Rasheed, told One Online that four guesthouses reopened on the island today and more guesthouses will continue to reopen as they receive permits. He said that numerous measures have been taken for the protection of the tourists and the locals as tourists are now being allowed to visit inhabited islands.

And so, an awareness program is set to be conducted for the public to get acquainted with the regulations set by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and a specific area has been set on the island for the tourists.

Speaking at the ceremony today, the Tourism Minister said that the support from the public is required to rebuild the tourism industry during the COVID-19 crisis and advised everyone to abide the guidelines set to reintroduce local tourism.

Guesthouses were initially set to be reopened on 15 August but was pushed back after a surge of new COVID-19 cases.