Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has announced plans to explore four major Arab cities with the Outbound Travel Roadshow (OTR).
This is the second consecutive year that MATATO is taking part in OTR Middle East, which is organised in partnership with Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibition and is scheduled to take place from February 10-13, 2019.
In 2018, eight Maldivian companies, including resorts and travel agents took part in this roadshow under the destination banner Maldives.
OTR offers networking opportunities in a professionally organised buyer-seller meet with thousands of buyers participating in the event. OTR Middle East will explore four major markets in the region — Dubai, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait — bringing together the most prominent buyers in those markets to an event of trade and networking.
Middle East is one of the fastest growing travel markets in the world. A new report from the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) shows that outbound tourism from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which comprises six countries in the Arabian Peninsula, has grown strongly in recent years, with international tourism expenditure surpassing USD 60 billion in 2017. The report also finds that per capita international tourism spending from the GCC was 6.5 times higher than the global average last year.
“MATATO’s destination marketing strategy concentrates on the emerging new markets that holds the potential for the destination,” a statement issued by MATATO read.
“MATATO intends to build up on this momentum of growth, by providing more opportunities for the destination to penetrate into the potential of Middles East market.”
According to the Maldives tourism ministry, Middle East is amongst the fastest growing source markets to the Maldives, with an annual average growth rate of 29.6 per cent. Over the last five years, marketshare of the region doubled, from an insignificant 2.3 per cent in 2012 to four per cent at the end of 2016. In 2016, the region recorded a 22.3 per cent increase compared to 2015.