Maldives has been showcased at TTG Travel Experience, one of the largest tourism fairs for the Italian market.
The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) together with 37 officials from 20 companies across the Maldives tourism sector are promoting their products and services at the fair, being held in Rimini, Italy from October 10-12.
At the three-day fair targeting the Italian travel trade, officials are meeting with industry professionals to explore means to further develop and strengthen the presence of Maldives in the Italian market.
Apart from the business meetings, activities are being organised at the stand, which measures 64 square metres, to attract more visitors.
Visitors have the opportunity to experience the Maldives in virtual reality and see the underwater beauty of the country through VR gear. Visitors also can take a selfie at the stand and post on social media with hashtag #visitmaldives and #TTG2018 to win a surprise gift from the Maldives. They can also have a taste of Maldivian flavours at the stand, which is designed to colourfully display the beauty of the Maldives.
Being one of the leading tourism fairs in Italy, TTG Travel Experience is the gateway to the Italian outbound market. This fair provides one of the main B2B tourism marketplaces in Italy to sell tourism products, to network and win new business as well as exchange views and find new ideas.
Although the target is mainly the Italian market, this event also gives the unique opportunity to meet with representatives from various sectors of the tourism industry from all over the world.
With more than 2,550 exhibitors from 150 destinations represented at the fair, more than 72,000 visitors are expected to visit this year. These include 1,500 buyers from 90 countries along with 750 journalists and 300 bloggers.
Italy is one of the major source markets to the Maldives, with 88,848 Italians having visited the Maldives in 2017 — an increase of 24 percent compared to the previous year. According to the latest arrival figures, by the end of August 2018, a total of 69,787 tourists visited the Maldives from Italy, which is a 19.1 percent growth compared to the same period of last year.