Maldives Association
of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) is a nonprofit organization that has been working in
the last 14 years for the betterment
and sustainable development of local travel agents.
Given the global crisis by the pandemic coronavirus
(COVID-19) outbreak and public health emergency of international concern
declared by World Health Organisation
(WHO), they have been working closely with all the government ministries and
authorities in the last
several weeks, evaluating
the impact of the situation
and preparing for post pandemic recovery.
Members and even non-members of the organization were
reached in an effort to collect data for a survey to determine the major
challenges faced by the travel agents. In the process of gathering information, concerns and grievances have
been received from affiliated members in regard to resort cancellation policies towards them, says
MATATO.
The association
urges all resorts, guesthouses, liveboards and hotels to allow flexibility in
cancellation terms and
allow date changes as it is important to have these policies- to sustain the
business that are now in the brink of collapsing and to help the destination to bounce back once the borders open and
airlines are able to fly.
The association
has been also in dialogue with Ministry of Tourism on these concerns and will
seek to provide legal assistance to its members that face challenges in regard
to unethical cancellations
and date changes, imposed by few resorts. This isn't a time for discrimination
and bias between local agents and foreign tour operator which unfortunately
have been observed in the past, a discouraging practice by some resorts.
MATATO acknowledged majority of all resorts, guesthouses,
liveboards and hotels that are being extremely supportive of local businesses and local travel agents.
The shock to the global economy from Covid-19 has been
faster and more severe than the 2008 global financial crisis and even the Great
Depression, thus it is vital for all the stakeholders to work together in
coming out of this stronger as a country and destination.
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