Abstract:
The Maldives is a small country, solely, dependent on the tourism sector for
its economic growth. The first known case of COVID‑19 in the Maldives was reportedly
a tourist from Italy in March 2020. As a result, the government implemented an overseas
travel ban. Presumably, the effect of overseas travel ban was inevitable, which resulted in
a complete shutdown of resorts. This paper covers a component from a research project
conducted March-May 2020, by the Ministry of Economic Development with technical
assistance from UNDP, as a rapid livelihood impact assessment of COVID‑19 in the
Maldives.The data reported in this paper is concentrated on the qualitative dataset
collected to investigate the experiences and concerns of resort employees at the onset of
COVID‑19 pandemic. A total of 31 participants across 13 resorts were randomly selected.
The data were generated through in-depth interviews which lasted 40-60 minutes either
by conference calls or Zoom meetings based on preferred choice of the participants. Detailed
notes were made during the conversation and were analysed thematically using the topics
from the structured interview guide from the rapid livelihood assessment. The findings
highlight the employees’ heightened anxiety about the exposure to COVID‑19 and its
possible impact on their health and safety. The findings also highlight the economic impact
on the resort workers because of the restrictive pay packages offered by the resorts in
dealing with the sudden closure of the resorts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The
findings have useful inputs and implications on future strategic plans of small countries
such as the Maldives that depend predominantly on a volatile tourism sector susceptible to
external shocks such as the unforeseen COVID‑19 pandemic.
