Saturday, October 3, 2020
Maldives has recently launched the world’s first hospitality loyalty program where tourists can earn points based on the number of visits and duration of their stay. The three-tiered loyalty program, has been titled Maldives Border Miles, and includes Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. The move has been undertaken to attract global travellers in a bid to recover the tourism sector disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made by Maldives Immigration that mentioned in an official statement that Maldives Border Miles is a three-tiered loyalty program for tourists where tourists can earn points based on the number of visits and duration of stay. It also stated that additional points will be awarded for visits to celebrate special occasions. The first tier is the Bronze level titled ‘Aida’, a word derived from Divehi linguistic, and refers to a bright star in the sky.
Similarly, the Silver level is called ‘Antara’, which stands for attractiveness and prestige and the Gold level, is called ‘Abaarana’, which is the third and most prestigious tier. The word Abaarana is an honorific name given to monarchs. Tourism is one of the major sectors for the island nation’s economy and accounts for nearly two-thirds of its GDP. The sector also employs one-third of adult males and a quarter of females in the country, all of which has been largely affected by the pandemic. However, Maldives has already reopened its borders in July to boost the tourism sector. It also promised facilities like visa on arrival, easy access to shores, and no quarantine for tourists.
Tags: Covid-19, maldives, Maldives tourism
