Maldives launch loyalty program to attract global travelers

Male: Maldives has launched the world’s first hospitality loyalty program where tourists could earn points based on the number of visits and duration of their stay. The move was made to revive the tourism sector after it was hit by ongoing pandemic and attract global travelers.

The three-tiered loyalty program called Maldives Border Miles will include Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. The Bronze level is the first tier and is called ‘Aida’. The word Aida means a bright star in the sky in Divehi linguistic. The Silver level is called ‘Antara’, which stands for attractiveness and prestige. The Gold level, ‘Abaarana’, is the third and most prestigious tier. The word Abaarana is an name given in honor to monarchs.

On September 27, Maldives Immigration, an official government-run Twitter account made an announcement, it said “Maldives Border Miles is a three-tiered loyalty program for tourists. Tourists will earn points based on the number of visits and duration of stay. Additional points will be awarded for visits to celebrate special occasions.”

Maldives economy runs on Tourism sector which is one of the major sectors for the island and accounts for two-thirds of its GDP. Maldives’ GDP is expected to contract by 8.5% in 2020, 13.9 % points lower than the pre-COVID-19 era, a World Bank report stated. The tourism sector employs one-third of adult males and a quarter of females in the country. Due to travel restrictions and closing frontiers has caused a lot to the island country. The island nation 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.

According to the data of Health Ministry of Maldives, the country has 10,291 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 34 deaths. The tally of active cases in the country stands at 1,142 while 9,108 people have recovered.