Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has revealed that 1376 bookings are cancelled on average due to COVID-19.
Eight cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Maldives.
In a statement issued on the impacts of COVID-19 on the country's economy, MATATO said a large number of bookings were cancelled during the past 24 hours. An average of 1376 tourist bookings are cancelled per day, which amounts to 41,289 monthly cancellations, they said.
MATATO predicts a decline of 9.5% for the tourism industry based on the current numbers.
The government had earlier revealed that over 25,000 bookings have been cancelled thus far over COVID-19 fears. The current decline will last a duration of approximately seven months, it has been predicted. The damages caused to the industry as a result are expected to exceed US$ 600 million.
