Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators, MATATO has showcased Maldives at the leading travel trade exhibition of Vietnam.
This is the second consecutive year that MATATO hosted a destination stand for Maldives at Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM). This year, three companies representing travel businesses in the Maldives were featured at the stand.
Organised by the Vietnam Society for Travel Agents, the fourth edition of VITM took place in Vietnamese capital Hanoi from March 27-29. More than 500 exhibitors from 30 countries participated in the event.
Vietnam is in the midst of a consumer boom thanks to the quick rise of its middle class. In a country of 95 million people, middle class will make a third of the population by 2020. This will represent some 33 million people from a current 16 million. GDP per capita is likely to rise to over USD 3,000 compared to USD 1,800 at present.
This economic book has had an effect on tourism, with a sharp rise recorded in outbound travel from Vietnam. A new report from consulting firm Euromonitor points to the fact that outbound tourism from Vietnam has been growing over the past few years at an annual rate of 10 to 15 per cent. From 4.2 million overseas trips in 2012, Vietnam’s total outbound reached 7.5 million departures in 2018.