Visit Maldives hosted a webinar with Air Astana on Friday, coinciding with the start of Kazakhstani flag carrier’s flights to Maldives.

The direct flights which started on December 5 are a stepping stone towards establishing a connection between the two destinations and working towards improving flight connectivity between the Maldives and the rest of the world.

Over 150 travel agents from Kazakhstan participated in the webinar where the latest information about the Maldives and arrival and departure procedures in the new normal were highlighted.

Air Astana also showcased various inflight services available for travellers.

It was among the several activities being carried out in Russia and the CIS region.

Last month, a TV crew from MUZ TV Channel of Russia arrived to showcase the Maldives as the most ideal holiday destination for Russian solo travellers in the travel show, “Independent Traveler.” During their week-long trip, celebrity TV host Andrey Razygraev led the crew while enjoying various activities offered by Centara Ras Fushi and Radisson Blu, under the “new normal.”

The 45-minute show is expected to be broadcast in December with a special premier and three repeat programmes. This is the third season of the successful show and is expected to reach a large audience.

The episode will also be uploaded on their YouTube channel with 1.3 million subscribers.

The Russain market is a traditionally strong market to the Maldives and is performing exceptionally well since the reopening of the borders July 15. Presently, Russia is leading the arrivals among the top arrival markets to the Maldives.

Visit Maldives is conducting several marketing campaigns for the Russian market such as hosting an e-learning platform, Online Travel Market (OTM) with Profi Travel, and combined campaigns with Travelata, Sletat.ru and Squizz, as well as a special media project with Aeroflot inflight magazine targeting affluent consumers and frequent travellers.

To enhance Maldives visibility, a TV advertising campaign was carried out with 360° TV of Russia in September and October.

Two webinars with Profi Travel on their Online Travel Market platform were also carried out in November and December, highlighting the latest destination updates. These webinars have been attended by over 800 agents from the region.

Additionally, under the ongoing global media campaign, Vogue Russia and National Geographic will also feature the destination in the publications. An editor from MyWay magazine in Russia is also set to visit Maldives, to write about the destination in the publication.

Several activities are also being conducted in various other key markets such as a global campaign with CNN and a campaign with Skyscanner in Russia, Italy and UK, as well as a global media campaign in various markets.

The resumption of flights by Russia’s national carrier and largest airline, Aeroflot, in September has also contributed to regaining traveller confidence and portraying the destination as a safe haven.

Aeroflot has since increased its frequency to the destination, while several airlines such as Rossiya and Azur Air have resumed flights to the Maldives, increasing the connectivity to the destination.