Visit Maldives is taking part in the Asian series of TravMedia’s virtual International Media Marketplace (IMM).

This year, the two-day IMM Virtual Asia takes place from October 27-28, and is one of the major networking events which connects to the leading media and travel brands.

The IMM Virtual Asia transports editors and journalists from all over Asia — from China to India, and many more — to the same platform. Key publications such as CNN Travel, Robb Report, Tatler Asia, Condé Nast Traveller, South China Morning Post, are taking part during this event.

“This provides the opportunity to promote the Maldives by introducing initiatives such as the Rediscover Maldives campaign and the upcoming Maldives Border Mile programme,” Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) said, in a statement.

“Most importantly, this also enables the destination to provide updates on the latest information regarding the current situation and safety measures taken on the geographically dispersed archipelago.”

During IMM Virtual Asia, officials from Visit Maldives are highlighting the measures taken along with the unique “one-island-one resort” concept that have created a safe haven for the tourists and have resulted in the Maldives receiving the ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The recent introduction of a Covid-19 insurance cover for tourists is also discussed.

In September, Visit Maldives took part in the German edition of TravMedia IMM Virtual held to provide the latest information about the destination to the German speaking markets.

Meanwhile, several initiatives focused on the Asian region have been taken in order to build travellers’ confidence and maintain the destination presence in the market. This includes participation in fairs such as OTR Virtual and Luxury Virtual roadshow, as well as organising a joint campaign with WeddingSutra in India and integrated webinar sessions in China.

As the situation improves, Maldives has also hosted several familiarisation trips for markets such as India and the Middle East.

To maintain the market presence on a global scale, Visit Maldives has also successfully concluded the Rediscover Maldives webinar series for the travel trade.

The Asian region consists of some of the major key source markets for the Maldives.

China, for instance, remains the biggest source market, having recorded a total of 31,744 tourist arrivals in January alone. The Chinese market is expected to increase exponentially when outbound travel is permitted.

India is also showing promising growth since the establishment of a travel corridor with the Maldives. With the gradual increase of flight connectivity, India has maintained its position among the top 10 markets with a total of 35,375 arrivals from January to September.