Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives) has launched a marketing campaign with Veepee to position the Maldives as a top of the mind destination in the French market. This campaign will be held for 10 days from 13th June 2022 onwards. 

Veepee, is a French based company that created the concept of flash sales. They are a leader in Europe in the Flash Sales business with 24 million members in France. The company has become a major player in e-commerce and is organised in close collaboration with more than 3,000 major brands. Veepee has an affluent audience who are constantly searching for their next holiday destination, which guarantees great publicity for the destination through this campaign. 

During the joint campaign with Veepee, MMPRC will promote the Maldives’ tourism products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards), the unique experiences available for tourists from the destination, the different segments of tourism available in the country, and the latest travel guidelines to the French market. 

During this campaign Maldives will be marketed on Veepee’s homepage, which is frequented by up to 3 million unique visitors. A dedicated website will also be created for the destination, accessible from within Veepee’s website, while an advertisement of Maldives will be posted on the banner of the travel page of Veepee. An emailer with the information of the destination will also be sent to the 9 million visitors of Veepee. This campaign is held as part of our marketing strategy for France, which focuses on showcasing the Maldives as the most preferred holiday destination for French travellers across all affluent segments and profiles. The campaign will create great visibility for the destination and entice an engaging audience to book their next holiday in the Maldives. 

As of 8th June 2022, 732,884 tourists visited the Maldives, with France contributing 3.9% of the total market share. During this period, France ranked as the 7th top source market to the destination with 28,904 tourists arrivals. 

MMPRC has planned several activities targeting the French market under the effort to maintain destination visibility. This includes joint-marketing campaigns, webinars, participation in major fairs and exhibitions, outdoor advertising, roadshows, and hosting familiarisation trips. Many such activities are in the pipeline for this market for this year as well. 

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarisation trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.  

MMPRC launches campaign with VEEPEE to maintain Maldives as a top-of-the-mind destination in France

Media professionals from leading media outlets from India arrived in the Maldives by invitation from Maldives Marketing and Public Relation Corporations (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) for a familiarization trip. The team will be staying in the Maldives from 13th to 19th June 2022.

This team consists of professionals from the media outlets which includes Times of India, Financial Express, BW Business World, NDTV Food, and Travel Dine. The team is hosted at Kuramathi Maldives, The Residence Maldives and Noku Maldives where they are experiencing the world-renowned Maldivian hospitality, unique experiences, and different cuisines at their host properties. The theme of the familiarization trip is gastronomy, and they are experiencing the unique cuisines of the Maldives during their trip. The team will publish articles about the destination and the host resorts in their respective magazines and publications, which has extensive reach among travelers from India.

Officials from MMPRC visited Kuramathi and met with the two, holding discussions about ways to broaden efforts to further promote the destination in the Indian market. MMPRC representatives also shared a destination presentation with the members of the visiting team, giving the latest updates on travel guidelines to the Maldives, and interesting unique experiences available here.

The purpose of this familiarization trip is to promote the destination amongst potential travelers from India. The trip is expected to generate huge coverage highlighting the unique geographical advantage of our scattered islands and the one-island-one-resort concept which makes Maldives one of the safest holiday destinations in the world. It will further help to promote the unique experiences and individual tourism products of the Maldives (resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards, and hotels). This trip is organized as part of MMPRC’s marketing strategy for the India market, aiming to provide the latest information about the travel guidelines to potential travelers from the region.

The fam trip is forecasted to increase arrival figures and bookings from India to the Maldives. So far this year MMPRC has held a destination e-learning campaign with 2HUB, influencer familiarization trips and celebrity familiarization trips. There are two digital campaigns ongoing, with Thomas Cook and PickyourTrail. In addition to this MMPRC participated in OTM and SATTE this year focusing on the India Market. There are several other marketing and advertising activities in the pipeline for this market for this year.

As of 8th June 2022, India is the leading source market for the Maldives with over 104,800 tourists visiting the destination from this market. India contributed 14.3% to the market share from the total 732,884 arrivals recorded to the Maldives during this period. India was also the largest market in 2021 with over 278,740 travelers and a market share of 22.6%. Similarly, India was the largest market in 2020 with an arrival figure of 62,960 and a market share of 11.3%.

MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarization trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travelers from all over the globe.

Professionals from leading India media outlets arrive in the Maldives for familiarization trip

The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/Visit Maldives), Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, has joined the high-level panel discussion at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Destination Marketing Forum 2022 (PDMF). The forum gathers the top minds in destination travel for insightful discussions on key issues in marketing and managing tourism growth to lesser-known destinations. This action-packed, annual event features two non-stop days of learning, discovery, and networking.

Beginning on August 4th in Songkhla, Thailand, the event invited high-level executives in global destination travel, including H.E. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand; and Ms Supawan Teerarat, the Senior Vice President of MICE Capability and Innovation, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The forum further included prominent speakers such as Ms Nicola Eliot, the Vice President of BBC StoryWorks; Ms Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Program Officer for Culture, UNESCO Thailand; and Ms Naomi Mano, President of the Japan MICE Association and President and CEO of Luxurique Inc. The high-level delegates joined the forum for inspiring and insightful discussions on marketing and managing tourism growth to lesser-known destinations under the theme “Building Back Sustainably through Cultural Heritage and Community-based Tourism”. 

CEO & MD Thoyyib attended the forum by invitation from PATA, as one of the expert speakers for the “Destination Marketing in the age of COVID-19” panel. In addition to CEO & MD Thoyyib, the expert panel consisted of; Ms Noredah Othman, CEO of Sabah Tourism and Mr Dinh Ngoc Duc, the Director General of Tourism Marketing Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Speaking at the session, Thoyyib recalled how MMPRC handled the Covid-19 crisis amidst the pandemic, and the many successes and accolades achieved during the time including; being stamped with the 'Safe Travels' label on September 18, 2020, by the World Travel Tourism Council; the fully digital campaign “Maldives; The Sun Will Shine Again” watched live by over 850,000 people across the world; and the highly-successful ‘I’m Vaccinated’ Covid-19 vaccination drive conducted together with the Ministry of Tourism.

“During the past year, our focus has been on working together to tackle the challenges faced by Covid-19. And our tourism sector has been extremely successful.” He said, “We dropped to half a million tourists in 2020 but this figure jumped to over 1.3 million in 2021. We are nearing the 1 millionth tourist mark in 2022 already, and I am proud to announce that the Maldives is now closing in on pre-pandemic arrival figures.”

In 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic, the Maldives saw 990,791 visitors as of 31st July. While this number dipped significantly over the next two years, we are seeing a resurgence this year, with arrivals standing at 942,444 as of 30th July 2022.

In concluding his remarks at the discussion, Thoyyib asserted that the future of the Maldives tourism industry is bright, and full of promise and potential. He said that he considers this the perfect time to roll up our sleeves and continue to make the changes we need for the future, to maintain the Maldives’ position ahead of the curve, as we have done before. 

The global Covid-19 pandemic had a long-lasting impact across all dimensions of the travel and tourism industry. Destination marketing organizations had to rethink and readjust marketing strategies to adapt to constantly evolving situations. MMPRC was at the forefront of marketing the Maldives as a tourist destination during the pandemic. Since then, the Maldives has secured the title of the ‘World’s Leading Destination’ by World Travel Awards in two consecutive years and has established itself as one of the most desired and popular destinations in the world.

MMPRC CEO & MD Thoyyib Mohamed joins high-level panel discussion at PATA Destination Marketing Forum

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has kicked off a strategic outdoor advertising campaign in key locations in Switzerland. The campaign is conducted from 12th September - 9th October 2022 with the aim of boosting the Maldives’ brand visibility and destination awareness in the Swiss markets. 

For the duration of this campaign, advertisements showcasing the beauty of the Maldives will be posted on billboards and digital screens in two major locations in Zurich for a duration of four weeks. The advertisements are estimated to reach millions of views each month. In addition to the natural splendour of the Maldives islands, the advertisements will also inform potential visitors of the exciting experiences available to Swiss visitors in the Maldives. 

The Swiss market is among the top performing source markets for tourist arrivals to the Maldives this year, with 22,751 arrivals as of 14th September 2022. MMPRC has been holding several activities in order to maintain destination presence and visibility and increase arrivals from this market. This includes familiarisation trips, digital media, and a print campaign with Falstaff. More activities are in the pipeline for this market for the future. 

As the company responsible for marketing the Maldives as a destination abroad, MMPRC carried out 260 different marketing activities in 22 global markets last year, including fairs, roadshows, familiarisation trips, marketing campaigns, webinars, and interviews. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came late last year, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ (among several other accolades) at the 2021 World Travel Awards, globally recognised as the hallmark of industry excellence. This is the second consecutive year that the Maldives had successfully earned this prestigious title, a shining testimony of the trust placed in the ‘magic of Maldivian hospitality’ by travellers from all over the globe.

MMPRC Kicks off Strategic Outdoor Advertising Campaign in Key Locations in Switzerland

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) showcases Maldives as a destination to the Japanese travel and consumer trade at Tourism EXPO Japan. The Expo is held at Tokyo Big Sight from the 22nd of September to the 25th. Ever since the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic, this is the first in-person event MMPRC participates that target the Japanese market.

With world-wide recognition, the Tourism Expo Japan is deemed as one of the biggest travel events hosted in the country with the aim of enhancing outbound, inbound and domestic travel from Japan. It provides a valuable platform for travel professionals to share information and build networking through business meetings, while still appealing to potential travelers by the allure of travel.

In the expo, Maldives will be displayed across a 63sqm stand space with captivating images highlighting the unique aspects and exclusive experiences offered by the destination. MMPRC is joined at the fair by 12 industry partners all striving to market the destination.

At the Maldives stand, visitors will be informed about the main products of tourism (resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards) and will be given an insight of the unique experiences awaiting tourists at our shores. Moreover, the stand will also bring into light the geographical distribution of the islands as well as the various segments (romance, honeymoon, family adventure, MICE & etc.) offered by our esteemed establishments.

During pre-pandemic times, the Japanese market was one of the top source markets for Maldives, however numbers has dwindled since the closing of international borders due to the pandemic. As of 10th August 2022, Maldives recorded 2909 arrivals from the Japan. Nevertheless, with the re-opening of borders recently, the Japanese market is expected to grow with numbers increasing in the upcoming months.

MMPRC has been conducting many activities in Japan to maintain destination presence and momentum. This included digital campaigns with forefront travel trade and media platforms and webinars for travel agents and tour operators. In the beginning of 2022, a familiarization trip was also carried out for this market, with many renowned media and publications from Japan taking part in the trip.

MMPRC Showcases Maldives At Tourism EXPO Japan

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) successfully concluded the Tourism Marketeers Evening 2022, hosted to collect feedback, ideas, and opinions from the tourism industry stakeholders for the destination marketing strategies for the Maldives for the year 2023. The event was held on 28th September, Wednesday, at Meeruma. A total of 41 tourism professionals took part in the event from a diverse range of travel trade vocations including; Managing Directors; General Managers; Sales and Marketing Managers; and other relevant tourism professionals.

Stakeholder input has always been a key component of MMPRC’s strategic planning process. Continuing our annual Tourism Marketeers Evening, following a two-year hiatus due to the covid-19 pandemic, is one of several activities conducted throughout the year to gather industry ideas and feedback. We work closely with the tourism industry and our partners to direct a collaborative effort to best develop and market the destination brand. The primary objective behind hosting this event was to gather expert opinions from tourism industry professionals regarding marketing the Maldives as the most preferred destination.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of MMPRC, MR Thoyyib Mohamed stated that “MMPRC has always prioritised working in collaboration with the industry when we craft the strategies that promote the Maldives as a destination. The ideas, feedback, and even criticism we get from our industry partners are crucial to constantly keep improving our brand. I am extremely grateful to all the attendants for the tremendous support we received for this year’s Tourism Marketeers Evening.”

Together with our industry, we brainstormed ideas in order to align and formulate our promotional activities and marketing strategies. The event included sharing ideas on innovative destination marketing and discussions on delivering similar destination messages from the entire Maldivian travel trade rather than fragmented messages. Sessions such as this help us and the industry to build a cohesive, strong, and alluring ‘Maldives’ brand. The brainstorming sessions and feedback will also help us work even closer together with our industry partners in the years to come.

The Tourism Marketeers Evening saw discussions on marketing activities such as fairs, roadshows, and familiarisation trips, as well as exchanging ideas on markets, segments, social media and promotional materials. One of the most exciting discussions, under the theme of “Working together through challenges”, was on addressing uncertain situations that arise within the industry due to external factors, geopolitical circumstances, and averting and dealing with such crises as one. Tourism industry representatives also shared their ideas, opinions, and suggestions for MMPRC’s destination marketing plan for the upcoming year.

“This is my first time at MMPRC's Marketeers event, and I think we had some very nice ideas shared by our industry colleagues here. I think it would have been better if we had more time, maybe this could be a longer event? People have a lot to share and discuss when they are together, but we are not able to come together in one place like this very often, especially industry experts. Overall I think it was a great event.“ - Fathimath Reena, Business Development Director of Oaga Resorts.

“The event is very good, it's great to meet the MMPRC team and share our ideas with the industry stakeholders. Having people from the different areas of the industry coming together was very good. I would love to see more events in a casual environment from MMPRC, for brainstorming and networking.“ - Ali Ameen, Managing Director of Travel Beach Maldives.

“This was a very nice event. Lovely. It was so nice to meet everyone in person, all the helpful people from MMPRC, because you guys are so collaborative and we always talk over emails so it's great to meet everyone who is in touch with us. It was great to meet different members of the event who have different ideas and perspectives. Thank you so much“ - Anastasiya Babenko, Marketing and PR Manager of LUX South Ari Atoll.

The marketing efforts by MMPRC carried throughout the year is in part - a coordinated effort by all of our industry partners in the Maldives. By the end of August 2022, MMPRC has marketed the Maldives at; 32 fairs; 3 roadshows in 7 cities; 16 FAM Trips; 6 virtual events 12 joint promotions and 12 social media campaigns. Additionally, 63 other marketing campaigns had been conducted to great success. MMPRC also engages PR agencies to implement PR and Trade Strategies in 15 key markets around the world. The efforts of MMPRC and the Maldives tourism industry have yielded several awards and accolades over the past years. The most notable of these were in 2020 and 2021, as the Maldives secured the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ for two consecutive years.

The board and staff of MMPRC extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to each and every single individual working in the tourism industry, and all professionals who attended the Tourism Marketeers Evening 2022 to share their ideas, thoughts, and feedback on how to continue to keep the Maldives at the top of holidaymakers dream vacation list. With the feedback and comments received, we will be able to achieve even greater heights in tourism promotion.

MMPRC Hosts Tourism Marketeers Evening 2022, Collects Industry Feedback for 2023 Destination Marketing Strategies

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) and the

Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) today signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) to strengthen collaboration and amplify destination marketing

efforts. "We are delighted to formalise this important collaboration with MATI," said Ibrahim

Shiuree, CEO & MD of MMPRC. "MATI’s extensive industry knowledge and experience will

undoubtedly be an indispensable asset in strengthening our destination marketing efforts,

and their insights and support will be invaluable as we work towards achieving our strategic

Ahmed Nazeer, Secretary General of MATI, echoed this sentiment, stating, "We have always

maintained a close working relationship with MMPRC and we hope that our understanding

today will serve to further solidify and enhance that relationship. Furthermore, it is our wish

that this collaboration can help to bolster MMPRC's Destination Marketing efforts, which are

undoubtedly crucial for increasing our destination's brand appeal and achieving our overall

Under the terms of this MOU, MATI will play an advisory role to MMPRC to aid in the

conceptualisation and formulation of destination marketing strategies, campaigns, and

tactics for the Maldives. Moreover, both parties will cooperate in sharing tourism-related

data compilations, analytical findings and insights.

#MMPRC

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