Maldives, an archipelago with white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters, is the favourite destination of many travellers including high-flying celebrities. Visitors are flowing to this enchanting nation after the travel curbs, which were put in place to arrest the spread of coronavirus, were lifted.
In a bid to woo travellers, Maldives has introduced a loyalty programme called ‘Maldives Border Miles’ in the last week of September. Through this unique programme, Maldives became the first country in the world to launch such an initiative in the tourism industry.
Moreover, Maldives is in the forefront when it comes to ensuring the safety of tourists during these testing COVID times. Social distancing is strictly maintained and the hotels and resorts on the islands have their own PCR testing equipment to screen the tourists. These proactive measures are pivotal to the island nation as two-thirds of its economy is dependent on tourism and hospitality sector.
The loyalty programme has three categories – Aida (bronze), Anantara (silver) and Abaarana (gold). Travellers who are part of this programme can earn travel points and use them while visiting Maldives, which is in South Asia. Those who are travelling to Maldives on special occasions can garner more points under this three-tier initiative.
Tourists with 500; 2,000 and 4,000 points can get Aida, Anantara and Abaarana memberships respectively, and each category offers different services and benefits. The members can also avail offers and discounts of travel companies and business entities providing services to travellers. Moreover, tourists can get certain benefits during immigration clearance at the Velana International Airport under the programme. The members can pocket bonus points when they become part of specific tourism activities or travel for honeymoon or to celebrate wedding anniversaries, and a calendar would also be released specifying the dates with bonus points. VIP immigration and duty-free discounts are also part of this loyalty programme.
