Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has announced plans to host the first ever Visit Maldives Travel Expo.
In a statement, MMPRC said the opportunity to take part in Visit Maldives Travel Expo 2019 is open by June 17. Those who are interested in taking part in the B2B and B2C exhibition with MMPRC may fill in a co-exhibitor registration form and send it to MMPRC along with the payment before the deadline, it added.
“We believe this B2B & B2C exhibition is a great platform to connect with top agents, operators and industry experts in Malaysia. The three-day exhibition will present co-exhibitors with the opportunity to make direct bookings with agents, as well as interact with the local public to sell packages on the spot,” the statement read.
“We are confident that, with your support, Visit Maldives Expo 2019 — Putrajaya, Malaysia will be a resounding success and also, the beginning of an era of greater prosperity for the Maldivian tourism sector.”
The exhibition, to be held from July 5-7 at IOI City Mall in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya, is the first of its kind to be held by MMPRC and is a step forward in the official tourism promotion body’s efforts to market the Maldives as a top destination for travellers across the world.
The exhibition’s uniqueness is further bolstered by the fact that it will be held in association with AirAsia, the biggest budget airline in the region.
The venue is also spectacular; it is a multi-award-winning city mall located within IOI Resort City. The exhibition will be held on the ground floor of the mall and presented in a unique concept, with high visibility from over 150,000 visitors to the mall per day.
Malaysia is a fast growing source market for Maldives tourism.
Official figures show that 22,202 Malaysian tourists visited the Maldives in 2018 — a 16.3 per cent increase over the 19,092 in 2017. That growth is set to continue this year, as arrivals from Malaysia recorded an 8.6 per cent increase in the first four months of the year to reach 7,800 from 7,185 in the same period last year.
The growth in the Malaysian market is boosted by AirAsia’s direct flight operations to the Maldives.
AirAsia currently operates a daily service connecting Kuala Lumpur and Male, utilising its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft with 180 and 186 seat capacity. Separately, its long-haul affiliate AirAsia X serves the same route four days a week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 377-seat capacity, including 12 Premium Flatbed seats.