MNU to conclude research on impact of pandemic on tourism in June

Maldives National University (MNU) has announced it expects to conclude its research into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maldives’ tourism industry in June.

Maldives is heavily dependent on tourism as a source of income, and the new coronavirus pandemic has hit its tourism industry hard, resulting in closure of resorts and hundreds of layoffs.

MNU was asked to conduct the research by the Parliament, which is conducting review on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry.

MNU has stated that its research will cover the impact of the pandemic on the Maldives’ tourism industry, along with changes to the global tourism industry and individual markets, as well as changes to global travel, and Maldivian companies involved in travel, based on which the authorities will be able to generate forecasts to aid in the recovery of the industry in the coming years.

The research is being undertaken by MNU’s Research Center, and will involve 14 of its analysts.

MNU said that if it received cooperation from relevant stakeholders, it expects to complete the research in the first week of June.