Maldives has kicked off a series of promotional activities in the Middle East, beginning with a destination showcase at Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
The Maldives delegation attending the leading global event for Middle East travel industry is led by Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of state tourism promotion company Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). ATM 2019, held from from April 28 to May 3, is attended by 133 representatives from 66 companies from the Maldives tourism industry.
Maldives stand has been built in a 209sqm space located at Hall 3 (Sheikh Saeed) of Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). During the fair, Maldivian officials will be meeting with industry professionals to explore means to further develop and strengthen the presence of the Maldives in the Middle East Market.
The Maldives stand displays various aspects of the destination through colourful images that represent the segments most identified with the Middle East market. Whilst most travellers visiting the Maldives wish to engage in rejuvenation as well as wellness and exploration, relaxation is one of the biggest motivational factors for the Middle East market, followed by quality of accommodation and good weather.
Additional activities at the Maldives stand include tasting of local flavours, experience of Maldives through virtual reality.
The Maldives delegation will also be holding a press conference on May 2. The press conference, to be held at 6pm at the Oberoi Dubai, will be attended by major tour operators and top travel trade media.
To increase exposure for the Maldives and provide more opportunities for Maldivian representative during ATM, MMPRC has also planned two dedicated roadshows under the theme, “Journey to the Sunny Side.” The roadshows, set to take place in Abu Dhabi on April 30 and in Dubai on May 2, are expected to bridge top operators from the Middle East and travel trade partners from the Maldives.
“This platform will provide a networking session in each city to further strengthen the relationship and create potential opportunities,” MMPRC said, in a statement.
Middle East, especially United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, hold much potential. In 2018, a total of 52,114 tourists from the region visited the Maldives. From January to March 2019, 12,810 tourists visited the Maldives from the Middle East region which is a growth of 7.7 per cent compared to the same period of last year.