News & Events

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04OctOctober 4, 2024

SriLankan Airlines’ ‘Colours of Jaffna’ Campaign Wins PATA Gold Award

13SepOctober 4, 2024

12 September 2024; Colombo – SriLankan Airlines bagged a Gold Award in the category of “Marketing-Carrier” at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2024, held in Bangkok on 28 August 2024, reaffirming the global appeal of its marketing communication endeavours. The campaign, “Colours of Jaffna,” is the first marketing campaign by any Sri Lankan entity to exclusively spotlight the island’s vibrant north. The timeliness of the campaign is further reinstated with CNN naming Jaffna as one of Asia’s most underrated places recently.

This year, PATA honoured 24 travel and tourism entities out of 100 entries from around the world, as judged by a panel of 23 industry experts.

One of the most successful campaigns ever to have been executed in the airline’s history, ‘Colours of Jaffna’ garnered a reach of over 14,000,000 across social media platforms with over 500,000 engagements.

SriLankan Airlines, Head of Marketing, Saminda Perera, said, “I take this opportunity to thank the encouragement and support extended to us by the management, our valued partners and my team, without whom this will never be a possibility. Time after time, we have endeavoured to present Sri Lanka in novel perspectives, and it gives us a great pleasure to be affirmed that our efforts are recognized by the industry fraternity and the travellers alike.”

Staying true to the campaign title ‘Colours of Jaffna,’ the visuals — both the imagery and videography — highlight the plethora of colours that define Jaffna. From its waterfronts, and historic fort to the colourful temple interiors, festivities and cuisine, the visual tonality emphasizes the contrasting yet striking colours, capturing the city’s novelty, excitement and vivacity. The video is enhanced by a rhythmic soundtrack, with tempos reflecting the natural ebb and flow of the city — the fine contrast between the calmness and the vibrant energy of its festivities.

Complementing the promotional drive, SriLankan Holidays, the airline’s leisure arm, introduced a series of holiday packages showcasing the best of Jaffna, with Jetwing Hotels as the exclusive hospitality partner. Notably, Jetwing Hotels was the other PATA award recipient from Sri Lanka, honoured in the prestigious “Climate Change Initiative” category.

MMPRC Promotes Dive Adventures and Breathtaking Maldivian Seascapes at ADEX Ocean Mission 2024

16AprApril 16, 2024

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives), along with 6 industry partners, promoted the breathtaking underwater seascapes of the Maldives to the Southeast Asia (SEA) market at ADEX Ocean Mission 2024. This event was held from 12 April 2024 to 14 April 2024, at the Suntec Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre.

With a history spanning 26 years, ADEX is the biggest and longest-running dive expo in Asia – considered to be one of the industry’s “must-attend” events. ADEX brings together distinguished VIPs and speakers from across the globe – scientists, marine conservationists, underwater photographers, videographers, and many others. It also provides a platform for various exhibitors such as dive operators, equipment manufacturers, and national tourism boards of countries.

MMPRC utilised this event to provide the latest destination information to interested visitors and create awareness for the Maldives as a preferred dive destination. The fair was also an ideal platform to collect market intelligence targeted for a niche segment through observations, and understand the sentiments of divers and dive enthusiasts from the Asian and Southeast Asian markets, in order to best promote and attract visitors from this segment to the Maldives. Participation in this event came under our efforts to promote the Maldives as the most preferred destination among Southeast Asian, especially Singaporean travellers, and to showcase the diving and underwater experiences available in the Maldives at the largest dive fair in the SEA market.

Some of the activities at the stand for Visit Maldives included a consumer survey, distribution of informative flash cards about Maldivian marine life, and artworks displaying the different dive locations in the Maldives.

This market ended last year with 58,947 visitors in total. From January to February this year, the Maldives welcomed 7,481 tourists from the SEA market. MMPRC has planned several activities targeting this market, to increase travellers and maintain destination presence. These activities include joint-marketing campaigns with major stakeholders, outdoor advertising campaigns, participation in fairs, hosting webinars, E-Learning programs and other events.

For further information, please contact

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation – PR Representative in Southeast Asia
Pacific World Travel Sdn Bhd
Suite 1001, Level 10, Wisma Lim Foo Yong,
86 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2141 3899 | Email: visitmaldives@pacificworld.travel

MMPRC strengthens destination presence in Malaysian and Southeast Asian market at MATTA 2024

25MarMarch 25, 2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) participated in Malaysia's premier travel extravaganza, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) from the 22nd to 24th March 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MMPRC along with representatives from 13 companies from the Maldives tourism industry showcased the Maldives as the most preferred holiday destination in the Malaysian and Southeast Asian market.

MATTA provided a wide array of exciting and value-for-money travel options to the potential visitors. Aligned with our strategies to strengthen the Maldives brand and destination presence, MMPRC aim to engage with key collaborators in the market to elevate the impact of Maldives tourism industry. Additionally, MMPRC’s participation in MATTA provide significant opportunities to promote halal tourism, targeting travellers in this market.

MMPRC highlighted our rich culture and heritage during this three-day event. The Maldives stand featured cultural elements of our destination with engaging activities. A stunning cultural display enchanted the visitors in the authentic Maldivian craftsmanship. Additionally, the cultural presentation at the stand showcased our history, customs, and traditions allowing guests to experience the essence of the Maldivian culture firsthand. The presentation was highlighted by an exciting holiday giveaway sponsored by Adaaran Club Rannalhi and Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi.

Throughout this event, MMPRC provided the visitors with the latest information about the Maldives, highlighting our new products, segments, and offers. The fair provided multiple opportunities for the industry partners to promote their unique products and services. Additionally, our participation in MATTA 2024 provided a valuable platform to connect with industry professionals, forge new partnerships, and gain valuable insights into the evolving travel landscape, solidifying our position as a leading travel destination in the region.

The Malaysian market holds immense potential for the Maldives. In the previous year, it ranked 26th as a source market with a notable 13,551 arrivals. As of March 2024, Maldives have welcomed 3,063 tourists from Southeast Asia. MMPRC has planned several marketing activities in this region to market and further promote the destination. Activities such as digital and social media campaigns; participation in major fairs, roadshows, and exhibitions; training programs; and outdoor campaigns are planned to be held throughout 2024 to increase arrivals and maintain destination momentum in the Malaysian and Southeast Asian market.

Maldives Achieves Highest Ever Tourist Arrivals with Over 1.8 million Tourists in 2023

21Dec

The Maldives has welcomed our 1.8 millionth tourist for the year 2023, successfully reaching the arrival target set for the year. Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) held a vibrant ceremony today to mark the momentous occasion. We reached this incredible milestone on 20th December 2023 with the arrival of Dutch native Mr Stefan Mathijs Hermans on flight EK652 from Dubai, UAE. This is Mr Hermans’ first trip to the Maldives and he is here for a family holiday with his wife and two children. This is the first year that the Maldives has ever welcomed over 1.8 million tourists and marks our highest arrival numbers to date.

MMPRC hosted a special celebratory event at Velana International Airport to commemorate this momentous milestone, joined by representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), Maldives Immigration, and Maldives Customs Service. The Minister of Tourism, Honourable Ibrahim Faisal joined the event today in addition to the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director (CEO & MD) of MMPRC, Ms Fathmath Thaufeeq. The CEO & MD of MACL, Mr Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed, the Head of Airport Division, Principal Immigration Officer of Maldives Immigration, Ms Fathimath Majidha Hassan, and the Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Mr Mahmood Riyaz also joined the event celebrating this landmark achievement.

“We are immensely proud of this achievement and remain committed to reaching the targets set for our tourism industry for next year as well. Every visitor who arrives in the Maldives has their breath taken away by the natural beauty of our nation, the warm hospitality of our people, and the unmatched variety of places to stay and things to do. We are here to make sure that everyone everywhere in the world knows that their perfect holiday is waiting for them in the Sunny Side of Life,” said CEO & MD of MMPRC, Ms Fathmath Thaufeeq.

MMPRC has been continuously conducting marketing campaigns throughout the year 2023, leveraging marketing strategies and immersive promotional campaigns that showcase the unparalleled beauty and experiences that the Maldives has to offer. With our comprehensive 360-degree marketing approach, our efforts resonated with the worldwide audience, ensuring that the Maldives as a destination remained in the spotlight throughout the year for travellers seeking unforgettable experiences. We conducted a total of 349 marketing and promotional campaigns throughout the year with a combined reach of over 6,011,389,743.

Notable collaborations include joint campaigns with world-renowned brands such as BBC Studios, CNN International Commercial and Qatar Airways. Another highlight of the year was the success of the Visit Maldives Storytellers’ Conference 2023. Our strategic promotional activities aimed at improving visitor numbers during the low season through sustainable tourism experiences allowed the Maldives to further cement our place as the top destination in the world, achieving over 1 million visitors within only seven months.

The success of these campaigns was recognised on the global stage during the World Travel Awards event, where the MMPRC and the Maldives won the three highest honours of the night. The Maldives was awarded the prestigious title of World’s Leading Destination for the fourth year in a row, along with being a recipient of the newly-introduced Global Tourism Resilience Award for strategically building capacity to recover swiftly and thrive after disruptions. MMPRC was recognised for its work in promoting the Maldives as a destination with the World’s Leading Tourist Board Award for the second year in a row.

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