Year: 2022

‘All Things Maldives’ is being showcased at the NATAS Holidays 2022 event held in Singapore, led by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) along with industry partners. The fair will take place from 12 - 14 August 2022 at Singapore EXPO Hall 5.

NATAS Travel Fairs, launched in 1987, is a biannual affair that features different tourism products with the best travel deals for the market. Since its inception, NATAS has been able to accumulate over 2.4 million visitors and is one of the most popular travel fairs among Singaporeans. NATAS Holidays showcases members’ latest products, trends and destinations. Attracting an average of over 100,000 visitors each run, the NATAS Travel fair brings in outbound travel agents, national tourist organisations, airlines, hotels، and other travel-related services under one roof.

MMPRC is accompanied at the fair by 23 participants from 12 companies. Through this event, MMPRC hopes to market the unique geographical features of our island nation, our products including resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards, the different segments, and unique experiences awaiting tourists in the Maldives. Participation in the event comes as part of MMPRC’s marketing strategy for the Southeast Asian (SEA) market, especially Singaporean travellers. It aims to promote the Maldives as the most preferred destination, emphasising the proximity and cultural aspects which make the Maldives ideal for travellers from this region.

The event provides a platform for industry partners to showcase and promote their products, whilst giving the destination the chance to achieve pre-pandemic arrival numbers and increase overall numbers from the region. An Outdoor Advertising Campaign is also being carried out

coinciding with the fair, in which destination video ads are placed in prominent areas of Singapore such as HDB Hub, Jurong Point, and Bedok Town Square.

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has launched a campaign with Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia to increase brand visibility for the Maldives in the Southeast Asia market. The campaign, which began in July 2022, will be conducted till the start of 2023.

Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia was launched in 2007. Their winning combination of wanderlust-inducing and fact-driven content drives high audience engagement from countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Through this campaign, the different segments of the Maldivian tourism industry, our products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards), and unique experiences will be promoted to the travel trade and potential travellers from the Southeast Asia market. Furthermore, the unique geographical characteristics of our islands, the one-island-one resort concept, and the latest travel information and guidelines will be shared through advertisements and banners on the website and social media of Travel + Leisure, along with e-mailers sent to their database.

This campaign is conducted as part of our marketing strategy for the Southeast Asia market, which is based on maintaining and increasing visibility and brand awareness for the Maldives, and showcasing the uniqueness of Maldives as the world’s leading destination. This strategy targets to promote services offered to luxury travellers, families and Muslim travellers from this market. The purpose of the strategy is to raise arrival numbers to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year and to reorient the perception of the Maldives solely as a honeymoon or luxury destination.

The Maldives welcomed 18,489 visitors from Southeast Asia countries from January to July 2022. As the company responsible for marketing the destination globally, MMPRC has been holding several activities for this market, including joint campaigns with tourism sector stakeholders, organising familiarisation trips, training webinars, and participating in fairs and exhibitions held for this market. In this regard, we have carried out a cabvertising campaign with MyBump Media and participated in MATTA Fair 2022 in Malaysia, Malaysia International Dive Expo, and Thailand Dive Expo. More activities are in the pipeline for this market for the rest of the year too.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarisation trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.

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Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has initiated a campaign with Travel Daily Media to increase visibility in the Southeast Asia market. The campaign will be held from July to September 2022.

Travel Daily Media is an online platform specialized in disseminating travel and hospitality industry news, opinion, and analysis for travel professionals. They have active subscriber bases and contributors in Asia, Europe, the USA, the Middle East, China and India. Their audience is made up of travel professionals from across the industry with a focus on travel and tour agencies, hospitality, aviation, cruising, MICE and Technology.

The purpose of this campaign is to build high attention and visibility for the Maldives, maintain a brand presence, raise brand awareness, and represent the Maldives as a top-of-the-mind destination in the Southeast Asia market. It also aims to showcase the uniqueness of Maldives as the world’s leading destination. Under this campaign, articles relating to the Maldives will be posted on the front page of Travel Daily Media, and in their newsletter. Furthermore, social media posts will be circulated on their Facebook page, and the Maldives will be advertised on their website's top banner and through the email sponsorship banner. An exclusive interview of MMPRC will also be posted on their platforms during this campaign.

Through this campaign we will market the destination as one of the safest choices for tourists, highlighting the unique geography of our scattered islands which provide ultimate privacy and security. It will also help MMPRC to promote our tourism products, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses, liveaboards, and the unique experiences available for tourists in the destination. We will further be able to provide the latest information about the destination and its travel guidelines to the travel trade and tourists from the Southeast Asia market.

This campaign is conducted as part of MMPRC’s marketing strategy for the Southeast Asia market, which focuses on boosting arrival numbers to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. The strategy is also based on re-orienting the perception of the Maldives solely as a honeymoon or luxury destination, and promoting other segments of tourism in this market. It comes under a new short-term strategy devised to address the evolving geopolitical climate in the world following the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war. With Russia and CIS topping the arrivals figures in recent years, the strategy is aimed at mitigating the potential negative impact on arrival numbers from this region by restrategising marketing activities in selected markets to minimise the potential adverse effects on the Maldives tourism industry and the nation’s economy.

From January to July 2022 Maldives welcomed 18,489 tourists from the Southeast Asia market. MMPRC has been holding several activities targeting this market, including joint marketing campaigns with major stakeholders, outdoor advertising campaigns, participation in fairs, hosting webinars, E-Learning programs and other events. Many similar activities are in the pipeline for this market for this year as well, including joint marketing campaigns, roadshows, and participation in fairs and exhibitions.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarization trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.

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A media team from Indonesia have arrived in the Maldives on a familiarisation trip aimed at promoting adventure and dive experiences available in the destination. The team, by invitation from Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives), will stay in the Maldives from 23rd to 28th June 2022. The team includes representatives from prominent Indonesian publications, and are staying in Kuramathi Maldives, Pullman Maldives Maamutaa and Mercure Maldives Koodoo where they will experience Maldivian hospitality, gourmet cuisine, and the unique experiences and services available in these resorts.

This trip will help to promote the diving segment of the Maldives, showcasing dive facilities and relevant experiences. Through this trip, we will be able to promote the Maldivian tourism products, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses, and liveaboards, to the Indonesian market. We will also be able to market the unique geographic aspects of our scattered islands, the one-island-one resort concept, and the safety and seclusion that our destination offers tourists. The participants of the trip will share social media posts and write articles about their experiences in the Maldives, expected to reach 30 million potential travellers from Indonesia.

The trip is conducted as part of our marketing strategy for the Indonesian market. This strategy is based on promoting the Maldives by building greater brand awareness as one of the safest destinations, and by providing coverage and digital visibility in Indonesia.

Prior to the pandemic, in 2019, Maldives welcomed over 4 thousand tourists from Indonesia, while 2021 saw over 950 arrivals from this market. From January to April 2022, there have been 365 arrivals from Indonesia. MMPRC plans to hold several marketing activities this year for Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia to increase arrivals from this region.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarisation trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.

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Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has initiated an advertising campaign with DestinAsian, an award-winning magazine focusing on the Southeast Asian and Asia Pacific regions. The campaign, held from June to August 2022, is targeted at strengthening and promoting the Maldives' brand presence in the Southeast Asian market.

Established in 2001, DestinAsian is the leading award-winning travel magazine in the Asia-Pacific region with a readership of 98,364 per edition. The magazine offers a regular line-up of sections that keep tabs on the latest cultural, lifestyle, and hospitality news around Asia and the world. The Maldives was awarded the title of ‘Top 5 Best Island’ in the DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards 2022. This campaign will include a full-page advertisement as a ‘Thank You’ from the destination to the readers. The campaign also includes social media posts advertising The Golden Jubilee of Tourism and the Maldives’ advantage of being a ‘Safe Haven’ for travellers. The campaign will also see a dedicated EDM email blast and a bonus 2-month MPU 2 banner on the DestinAsian website.

The purpose of this campaign is to maintain brand visibility in the SEA market and to maximize the visibility of the Maldives within the online platforms of the market. The campaign aims to market the natural geographic advantages of the Maldives having scattered islands which allows natural social distancing, to market the individual products including resorts, hotels, guesthouses/homestay and liveaboards in the SEA market.

The strategy is based on informing the travel trade and travellers about the latest travel guidelines and unique experiences available to holidaymakers in the Maldives. It further falls under a new short-term strategy devised to address the evolving geopolitical climate in the world following the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war. With Russia and CIS topping the arrivals figures in recent years, the strategy is aimed at mitigating the potential negative impact on arrival numbers from this region by restrategizing marketing activities in selected markets to minimise the potential adverse effects on the Maldives tourism industry and the nation’s economy.

The Maldives welcomed a total of 431,503 arrivals by April. From January to March 2022 Maldives welcomed 3,990 tourists from the SEA market. MMPRC has successfully completed several marketing campaigns for this market so far in 2022, including a marketing campaign with Travel Weekly Asia and participation in fairs such as MATTA 2022.
The Maldives has recently eased travel restrictions imposed on tourists which enforced presenting of negative PCR tests by all travellers. In this regard, from 4th March 2022, tourists visiting the Maldives are no longer required to present a Covid-19 PCR negative result upon arrival if the prescribed doses of vaccine are completed 14 days prior to the date of arrival. As of 13th March 2022, the Maldives has also lifted the national public health emergency, imposed in response to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ease of travel restrictions and measures would make it easier for tourists to visit the Maldives.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarization trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.

This year also celebrates an exceptional year to visit the Maldives – the Golden Jubilee celebration of tourism in the Maldives kicked off earlier last year with plans to conduct new and exciting activities throughout the year.

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