Male, Sep 28 (IANS): Abdulla Mausoom, the Maldivian Minister of Tourism, said reopening the country's borders has been an important step to revive the economy, state-owned PSM News reported on Tuesday.

Speaking on World Tourism Day, Mausoom thanked President Ibrahim Solih for reopening the country's borders, saying the government prioritises promoting local tourism businesses as they generate incomes and employment for the residents of the island nation, reports Xinhua news agency.

Mausoom said the government would permit tourism at homestays from January 2022 as it would enable average citizens to benefit from the industry.

He said the Maldives has received 12 per cent more tourists in September compared to the same period last year, with the government projecting a total of 1.3 million arrivals by the end of the year.

The country's borders had been fully closed for three months last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic before they were reopened in July 2020.

The borders were closed for South Asian tourists due to a surge of Covid-19 cases in May 2021, but were reopened on July 15.

Tourism is the largest economic industry in the Maldives, as it plays an important role in earning foreign exchange revenues and employing thousands of citizens.