The Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom confirms several Ukrainian tourists are currently stranded in the Maldives due to Russian military invasion into Ukraine.
Speaking to Mihaaru mews. minister further attested that over 800 Ukrainian travelers were holidaying in the Maldives when war broke out between Russia and Ukraine.
Minister Dr. Mausoom further noted that the relevant government bodies were attempting to identify the exact number of stranded tourists as of now.
"We have started communicating with travel agencies, and travel agents to clarify the exact number of Ukraine travelers currently in the Maldives. We expect to receive definitive data sometime by tomorrow," the minister stated.
Furthermore, Minister Dr. Mausoom clarifies that the Maldives government is attempting to assist stranded Ukrainian travelers in two approaches, with one being, safe transportation options to countries close to Ukraine or cheaper accommodation in the Maldives until the situation dissipates.
"They would have come [to the Maldives] through various agencies. So we are trying to establish an understanding with these agencies to levy discounted rates for the travelers," the minister added.
Meanwhile, the Maldives government has already facilitated visa extension through Maldives Immigration for travelers wishing to extend their stays in the country.
While Russia has initiated its military campaign against Ukraine, the two countries happen to be among the top ten source markets to the Maldives.
Russia is currently the top strongest source market to the Maldives, according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Tourism while Ukraine is included in the top ten source-market list.
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