Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives), along with industry partners, have promoted the breathtaking underwater seascapes of the Maldives to the SEA market at ADEX Ocean Mission 2023. This event was held from 31 March 2023 to 2 April 2023, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore.
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.
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 comes 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 photobooth, informative flash cards about Maldivian marine life, and artwork displaying the different dive locations in the Maldives.
The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of MMPRC, Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, was one of the speakers at the event, describing the activities conducted by MMPRC to support sustainable tourism and diving ventures, as well as updates on the recent happenings in the Sunny Side of Life. Mr Thoyyib highlighted the importance of the South East Asia Market and the active support of the ADEX organisers for the destination and its assistance in promotion of the dive segment moving forward.
This market ended last year with 23,080 visitors in total. From January to February this year, the Maldives welcomed 5,897 tourists from the SEA 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. This includes participation in ITB Asia 2023, conducting a roadshow in South East Asia, and a media campaign with the Robb Report.