Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) is all set to launch its biggest event in the Maldives, Visit Maldives Storytellers’ Conference, with content creators selected from around the world.

Visit Maldives Storytellers Conference:

• The event will stretch from May 30 to June 2
• The conference itself will be held on May 30 at Crossroads Maldives
• 65 content creators from 10 countries will participate, including three Maldivians
• They were selected by a judging panel set up by tourism industry experts and MMPRC after a social media competition held from February 27 to March 25
• After the conference, content creators will visit eight regions of the Maldives and experience various issues: R. Atoll, K. Atoll, Ari Atoll, V. Atoll, Dh. Atoll, L. Atoll, Fuvahmulah and Addu
• They will stay in resorts, guesthouses, residential islands, and visit some of the country’s historic places

Managing Director of MMPRC Thoyyib Mohamed told reporters on Thursday that this is the biggest event organised by the official tourism promotion company in the Maldives.

Content creators will be active across the country for the following three days after the conference, he said. The content creators who will be brought to the country for the event include:

• Travel writers
• Journalists
• Bloggers
• Influencers
• Media experts

“It’s an invitation we have given to people to experience the real Maldives and make videos, take pictures and write articles and make social media posts [to share their experiences],” Thoyyib said.

“The aim of the conference is to show that the Maldives is not just ‘Sun, Sand and Sea’, and that the Maldives can offer a lot of experiences for every tourist.”

Another goal of the event, Thoyyib said, was to do something during the low season in the country.

“I don’t think there should be a low season in the country. This is what a lot of people think, not just me. That’s why we are doing it with the intention of doing more during those days when get a little less bookings,” Thoyyib said.

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has conducted a webinar for travel agents and tour operators from the United States of America (USA) under the name ‘High-End Adventures – The Maldives awaits | USA 2022’.

The purpose of the webinar, held on 17th May 2022, was to train US travel agents and tour operators and promote high-end adventures in the Maldives for travellers, showcasing the best of the destination.

This is the first webinar conducted this year to strengthen the Maldives brand across the North American market. The hour-long session was joined by Yacht Maldives, Movenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives, and Crossroads Maldives.

The webinar commenced with an opening speech by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director (CEO & MD), Mr Thoyyib Mohamed, highlighting the important relationship between Maldives and the U.S travel trade. Mr Thoyyib further underscored the many awards and accolades achieved by Maldives during the past years, and the joy of vacationing in the Maldives during the golden jubilee year of the Maldivian tourism industry.

Followed by CEO & MD’s speech, an update was provided regarding the latest travel guidelines in relation to the pandemic. Afterwards, MMPRC presented a destination presentation showcasing the breathtaking beauty of the Maldives, the four tourism products (resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards, hotels) and the unique experiences offered in Maldives. Sleeping in a bubble tent on the beach, staying at a private water villa and flying in a seaplane were among the many exciting unique experiences promoted. In addition, the safety provided by the natural socially-distanced unique geography of the Maldives was also highlighted in the video to promote Maldives as a safe haven for travellers in the U.S market.

The industry partners presented the latest information on the unique products and experiences respective to each property. The webinar provided an important platform for Visit Maldives’ industry partners to showcase their latest products to a wide-reaching travel trade audience in the U.S region as well as strengthen relations with the U.S market.

With over 100 travel trade representatives registered, the session ended with a Q&A. The webinar concluded with an exciting raffle holiday giveaway sponsored by Saii Lagoon Maldives. The lucky winner won an all-inclusive 5 nights stay in the Maldives.

The US was one of the top source markets to the Maldives last year. As of 6th April 2022, Maldives have welcomed 460,479 travellers in total, out of which 21,009 travellers are from the U.S. There were several activities conducted for the market last year. This includes joint-marketing campaigns, webinars, participation in major fairs and exhibitions, and hosting familiarisation trips. Similar activities are planned for this year.

The Maldives has also eased travel restrictions imposed on tourists which enforced presenting of negative PCR tests by all travellers. In this regard, from 4th March 2022, tourists visiting Maldives are no longer required to present a Covid-19 PCR negative result upon arrival if the prescribed doses of vaccine are completed 14 days prior to date of arrival. As of 13th March 2022, the Maldives has also lifted the national public health emergency, imposed in response to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ease of travel restrictions and measures would make it easier for tourists to visit the Maldives.

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.

This year also celebrates an exceptional year to visit the Maldives – the Golden Jubilee celebration of tourism in the Maldives kicked off earlier last year with plans to conduct new and exciting activities throughout the year.

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives), in collaboration with Pacific World Travel Agency (PWTA), has launched an E-learning programme targeting the South East Asian market. The programme will be conducted from 28th March 2022 to 28th March 2023.

PWTA is one of the leading partners of travel industry organisations from around the world who have established their own sales and marketing network throughout Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Through the joint E-learning programme with PWTA, MMPRC will promote the Maldives as a preferred and safe tourist destination to maximise visibility in the SEA market.

Through the Maldives E-learning Programme, a dedicated website will be created to provide the latest and up-to-date information about Maldives’ tourism sector to travel trade professionals working in the SEA market. The information related to Maldives will be available for PWTA partner tour operators and travel agents by logging in to the website. This E-learning platform is flexible and allows members to join in at any time, anywhere, to learn more about Maldives and what it has to offer to tourists.

Through this programme, MMPRC aims to familiarise travel trade professionals working in the SEA market with the latest information on measures taken in our products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards), and the unique experiences available in the Maldives for travellers from this market. This is the ideal platform to market the destination as a safe haven and promote the unique geographical formation of the scattered islands which allow natural social distancing for travellers.

Over 600 travel partners are expected to participate in the programme, with a reach of 3000 travel partners throughout the year from the SEA market. The interactive course will include 3 modules, with the first module focusing on introductory basic information, module 2 focusing on promoting unique selling points of the destination, and the last module on the latest travel guidelines, covid measures and updates. Agents who complete the course will obtain an official certificate issued by MMPRC. This programme is conducted in line with the marketing strategy for the SEA market to strengthen the Maldives’ brand in the SEA region and create greater appeal for travellers.

The world is currently on the trajectory to adapt to a broader new normal and ease covid measures across all sectors to recover from negative impact caused to economies due to covid restrictions. We are witnessing more countries easing travel measures and opening with a new normal. With regards to the recent development across the world, Maldives has also eased travel restrictions imposed on tourists which enforced presenting of negative PCR tests by all travellers.

In this regard, from 4th March 2022, tourists visiting Maldives are no longer required to present a Covid-19 PCR negative result upon arrival if the prescribed doses of vaccine are completed 14 days prior to date of arrival. As of 13th March 2022, the Maldives has also lifted the national public health emergency, imposed in response to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.The ease of travel restrictions and measures would make it easier for tourists to visit the Maldives.

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.

This year also celebrates an exceptional year to visit the Maldives – the Golden Jubilee celebration of tourism in the Maldives kicked off earlier last year with plans to conduct new and exciting activities throughout the year. MMPRC has planned over 60 in-person events for the year 2022, including 11 fairs, roadshows and events scheduled for just the first quarter.