Travel Trade Maldives (TTM), the first ever international travel trade show of Maldives, has announced plans to host a tourism career fair.

In a statement, local PR firm Maldives Getaways, which is organising the annual trade trade show, said Monday that the first Tourism Career Fair will be held on July 13 as part of TTM, which is scheduled to be held at the main convention centre in capital Male Dharubaaruge from July 12-13.

According to Maldives Getaways, the fair will be exhibited by resorts, liveaboards, leading hotel chains and service providers in the tourism industry of Maldives. The goal of the career fair is to give job seekers, students, employers, training institutions and government agencies a place to network, it said.

“The career fair will be most effective for businesses that are currently recruiting, expecting to, or for those seeking to promote services,” the statement read.

TTM is expected to attract over 100 resorts and hotels along with 150 international buyers and media. Premium exhibitors include Adaaran Resorts, Universal Resorts, Crown & Champa Resorts, Bandos Maldives, and Villa Hotels & Resorts Maldives. Airline partners include Maldives’ flagship carrier Maldivian and Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) which will be joined by three international airlines.

The travel trade show will host Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Academy for the first time in Maldives. The first ever Hotelier Summit of Maldives that targets hotel investors, leading hotel owners, operators, developers, architects, interior designers and consultants will also be held as part of TTM.

TTM gala night, to be held at Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi, will host Maldives Travel Awards: People’s Edition which will recognise 10 outstanding individuals from the hospitality industry.

Maldives recorded 1.2 million tourist arrivals in 2015 with a total of receipts around USD 2.5 billion. With the rapid changes in global travel markets, Maldives continues to strengthen its foothold as one of the leading tourist destinations in the world. While tourism still remains the leading economic industry in the country by far, innovative new approaches in marketing are required to ensure the sector remains at the top.

TTM aims to facilitate the tourism industry of Maldives to reach the ultimate target of two million tourists with over USD 3.5 billion in receipts by the end of 2020. More than 300 hoteliers, suppliers, related industries and travel industry professionals from the Maldives and abroad are expected to visit TTM to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends.