Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, will start its direct flight to the Maldives from December 12, edition.mv reported. Earlier German airline Lufthansa had announced the start of its flights to the Maldives.

The Bahrainian airline will operate two flights on weekly basis to Velana international airport in the Maldives. The move will help the country to make recovery in its tourism sector, to which the government relies on for a significant portion of tax revenue. 

The Maldives receives a large chunk of tourists from these Gulf states, and recently, after the reopening of the tourism industry, the United Arab Emirates sent the largest number of tourists to the Maldives. 

Moreover, the Indian Ocean archipelago recently fixed its target for tourist arrivals at 500,000. The country has already received 420,000 tourists and now needs only 80,000 more by the end of 2020. The Tourism Ministry led by Abdullah Massoum pulled out all stops by introducing a multitude of measures and policies to help the industry recover from the brunt of the pandemic.

Recovery in the Maldives’ economy - which shrank by 50% after COVID-19 - depends upon tourism revival. The government opened the industry in a phased manner and recently allowed the guesthouses in the residential areas to commence operations.