Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has commenced a series of marketing activities in Japan.
The series began with participation in Tourism Expo Japan, which will be followed by a multi-city, joint roadshow with Singapore Airlines under the theme of “Journey to the Sunny Side” to maximise the Maldives brand exposure.
During the Tourism Expo Japan, being held in Osaka from October 24-27, MMPRC together with four tourism industry partners are showcasing the destination.
Business meetings with the industry stakeholders are being held in order to identify strategies to further improve the market performance and strengthen the presence of the destination within the Japanese market.
To attract more visitors to the stand, several activities are being carried. This includes conducting a quiz for the visitors to win gift bags, opportunity to experience the underwater beauty of the Maldives through VR gear, and traditional food display where visitors can taste Maldivian food.
“Tourism Expo Japan, considered to be the largest travel fair in Japan targeted to enhance outbound and inbound travel of Japan, presents numerous opportunities for destination promotion. It provides travel professionals an ideal platform for exchanging travel information,” a statement issued by MMPRC read.
“Furthermore, this fair inspires consumers by showcasing the facets of tourism industry. 1,441 companies and organisations from 136 countries exhibited in the fair last year. This year the fair is estimated to have 130,000 visitors which includes 34,000 trade and press.”
Meanwhile, the “Journey to the Sunny Side” roadshow will be held in Nagoya, Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Osaka from October 28-31.
Seven partners from the Maldives’ tourism industry have participated in this roadshow to create potential opportunities and to further strengthen the relationship with Japanese tour operators.
“It will serve as a platform form for tourism industry partners to showcase products and network with top travel trade industry partners from Japan,” the press release read.
The roadshow in Japan marks the 10th event in the series of “Journey to the Sunny Side” roadshows organised by MMPRC to further promote the Maldives in the global market.
Japan is one of the top 10 source markets as well as one of the important traditional markets to the Maldives.
A total of 42,304 tourist arrivals were recorded from Japan in 2018 which is an increase of 2.8 per cent compared to 2017. By the end of August 2019, 30,049 tourist arrivals were recorded from Japan which is an increase of 13.2 per cent compared to the same period of 2018.
