This undated image shows an aerial view of an island in Maldives. Photo courtesy: Modern Diplomacy

Maldives Minister of Tourism Abdulla Mausoom has said that the heavy losses sustained by the country's tourism sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be recovered by the end of the year, local media reported here Monday.

Speaking on local TV on Sunday, Mausoom said, "We can boost our numbers, we can increase the number of bed nights. Thankfully, our rates are good."

Data from the Maldives' Ministry of Tourism showed that 460,924 tourists visited the country in 2021, compared to 555,494 in 2020 and 1.7 million in 2019. The government aims to achieve 1.5 million tourist arrivals by the end of this year.

However, Mausoom said that the government's expectation of over 3,000 arrivals per day has been dampened by the third wave of COVID-19 infections. He said that the current arrival rate is half of what was expected.

Mausoom said that Britain red-listing the Maldives as a travel destination, and the Maldivian government's decision to suspend issuing visas to countries in South Asia, have contributed to a stagnation of arrivals.