The Ministry of Tourism has issued a safety standard outlining measures to minimise accidents during watersports and other such tourist activities in the Maldives. The guidelines aim to address incidents that have led to tragedies involving tourists in water-based and beach-related excursions.
In a circular issued on Thursday to tourism service providers, the ministry announced that a formal regulation would soon be developed to ensure safer practices during such activities. In the interim, the circular provides safety standards that must be followed by councils, guesthouses, hotels, homestays, tourist vessels, and diving service operators.
The safety standards include the following requirements:
- Participants must be provided with safety information before starting any water sports activity.
- All aquatic equipment must comply with safety standards and be used only for their intended purpose.
- Activities must be conducted in designated zones specifically separated for each sport.
- Tourists who cannot swim must wear life jackets during water sports activities.
- Operators must monitor weather conditions. Activities must be suspended if the weather service issues a warning or if an instructor assesses the conditions as unsafe.
- Colour-coded flags or surface balloons in white, yellow, orange, red, or green should be used to indicate changes in weather conditions.
- Instructors must maintain a means of communication with the aquatic center to ensure readiness in case of emergencies.
Additionally, service providers are required to maintain a logbook of water sports participants, recording their names and identification or passport numbers.
The ministry emphasised that these precautions are necessary to reduce risks to tourists, who are the primary participants in water-based and beach activities. The measures are part of ongoing efforts to enhance safety standards across the tourism sector in the Maldives.
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