Business
Visit Maldives concludes three marketing campaigns
Visit Maldives has concluded three marketing campaigns, conducted to maintain destination presence and promote Maldives as a haven for travellers.
The campaigns include a global initiative with Skyscanner, a combined campaign with Travelata, Sletat Russia and Squizz, and the e-learning platform Profi+Travel.
The marketing campaign with the Russian online travel agency, Travelata, Sletat Russia and Squizz concluded with outstanding success as the initiative updated over 300 travel agents with the latest destination news regarding the Maldives over a course of three webinars.
Travelata created a special landing page with information regarding the Maldives and sent newsletters to over 412,329 users. The campaign’s success is evident from 6,133 packages sold through the platform from September and November 2020.
Squizz Online Test was the last component of the combined marketing campaign for agents organised by Travelata and Sletat.Ru. The platform tested questions on new safety rules, destination overview, experiences, and activities in the Maldives.
The testing questions were compiled under the themes of the webinars for Sletat Russia. A total of 500 questionnaires were received for the final stage of the quiz, the total number of agents taking part in all activities during the campaign exceeded 2500.
The campaign was a great success, and the unique initiative of training travel agents on destination presence will yield significant results in the upcoming future.
Visit Maldives also concluded a marketing campaign with Profi+Travel’s e-learning platform for tour operators in Russia and CIS countries this January.
Profi+Travel is a Russian company with over 20 years’ experience in conducting similar B2B campaigns. The company creates unique content that helps travel companies increase sales, provide expert analysis of market trends, and organise online fairs and workshops with complex education training on various destinations.
The objective of this platform was to encourage tour operators in Russia and CIS Region to increase bookings to the Maldives.
This platform was tailored to explain all details about the Maldives and assist tour operators to choose the best travel option for their customers. Over 9800 travel agents took part in the e-learning, which provided information about the Maldives tourism products, showcase tourist attractions, historical sites, culture and more for the tour operators.
At the end of the course, participants who successfully proved their knowledge on the destination were awarded a certificate.
The agents who completed the training with the highest number of bookings were awarded holidays sponsored by Furaveri Maldives, Paradise Island Resort and Grand Park Kodhipparu.
The winning agents are from LLC, Kazan, London-Paris, Rostov-on-Don, PLANETA TRAVEL, Perm.
A total of 218 bookings were generated as a result of this campaign.
Lastly, Visit Maldives concluded a campaign with leading global travel marketplace Skyscanner in January.
The three-month campaign targeted Italy, UK, and Russian markets; three key markets prior to the closing and reopening of Maldives’ borders on July 15, 2020.
The campaign reached an estimated amount of 9.6 million people in Italy, UK, and Russia markets, which will in turn increase brand awareness and visibility. During the campaign period, Skyscanner observed a huge increase in searches, highlighting underlying demand to travel to Maldives.
Under this campaign, a page was dedicated to Visit Maldives on Skyscanner platforms, targeting the three markets in their own languages. Through this page, content was created to showcase different experiences for tourists and show them that Maldives is unique in its own ways compared to the rest of the world.
Destination promotion ads were displayed in various placements throughout Skyscanner’s platforms to capitalise on travel intent to the Maldives and maximise the reach of content. This included Skyscanner’s homepage and the most prominent positions on flight search results views.
The ads also displayed messaging in Italian, British English, and Russian languages for easy accessibility.
Due to the challenges brought on by the global pandemic, Visit Maldives had to re-strategise destination promotion campaigns accordingly. These marketing activities were shifted to online and digital platforms to showcase the beauty of Maldives and highlight how the naturally distanced islands make it the safest destination for tourists, increasing tourists’ trust in the country.
Maldives on Thursday welcomed the one millionth tourist to visit this year.
The one millionth tourist is a Thai named Sutapa Amonwivat, who arrived from Singapore with her husband and two children. This is her second visit to Maldives.
Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and the Ministry of Tourism gave a warm welcome to Sutapa at the Velana International Airport (VIA) Thursday afternoon. She was welcomed at the VIA by tourism minister Ibrahim Faisal, MMPRC Managing Director Ibrahim Shiury and senior officials of various relevant agencies.
After welcoming her with traditional offerings, she was presented with various gifts by the ministry, MMPRC, customs, immigration, Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) and Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA).
Maldives reached one million tourists in June, three weeks earlier than last year. The number of tourists reached one million on July 16, 2023.
Maldives expects to reach 2 million tourists this year.
Chongqing Airlines on Monday began its inaugural flights to Maldives.
The Chongqing-Male route, scheduled three times a week, is expected to strengthen the bonds between China and the Maldives, opening up exciting new opportunities for tourism and cultural exchange.
The inaugural flight was welcomed upon its arrival at Velana International Airport (VIA) in Maldives, where local officials and tourism representatives expressed their enthusiasm for this new development.
“We warmly welcome our friends from China to our beautiful islands. This new connection strengthens our bonds and opens up new opportunities for tourism,” the tourism ministry said on X.
Maldives currently welcomes four airlines from China, including China Eastern, Beijing Capital Airlines, Xiamen Airlines.
In January, Maldives government urged tourism stakeholders in both Maldives and China to ramp up efforts to restore China’s position as the primary source market for Maldives tourism, a status held before the onset of Covid-19.
China, being the largest source market for Maldives tourism before the pandemic, saw a resumption of tourist arrivals from January 2023 after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. In 2023, the Maldives welcomed 187,118 Chinese tourists, marking a significant recovery in numbers. This year, the Maldives has welcomed the most number of tourists from China, with over 107,940 or 11.5 percent of total arrivals by June 12.
CROSSROADS Maldives has introduced WeChat Pay, widely known as Weixin Pay in China, across its world-class resorts, SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, and Hard Rock Hotel Maldives. This payment option is made available to enhance the convenience and overall experience for guests from China, making their stay in the Maldives more enjoyable and hassle-free.
Understanding the needs of the diverse guests, CROSSROADS Maldives has integrated WeChat Pay into operations, allowing guests from China to easily and securely conduct transactions using a payment method familiar to them. The introduction of WeChat Pay is a testament to CROSSROADS Maldives’ dedication to enhancing guest satisfaction by offering exceptional experiences at every turn. What is also expected through this initiative is that the guests could benefit from better foreign exchange rates, translating to better savings on their expenditures during their stay.
The option is available for guests in-house conveniently at both resorts as well as across the Marina at CROSSROADS Maldives where a wider variety of unparalleled dining and retail experiences are available for all guests. The day visitors from China will also therefore equally benefit from this new introduction at the Maldives’ premier multi-island integrated leisure destination.
SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, is a vibrant tropical escape that offers unique and locally inspired experiences. The resort features spacious rooms and villas, a variety of dining options, and an array of recreational activities designed to cater to the desires of modern travellers. Guests can escape to the island’s SAiisational natural beauty, enjoy water sports, and indulge in spa treatments, all while relishing the personalised service that defines Hilton’s Curio Collection.
Hard Rock Hotel Maldives brings the iconic Hard Rock spirit to the tranquil shores of the Maldives. This family-friendly resort offers a perfect blend of relaxation and entertainment, featuring music-inspired experiences, live performances, and the brand’s signature amenities. With luxurious accommodations, diverse dining options, and a plethora of activities for all ages, Hard Rock Hotel Maldives ensures an unforgettable holiday experience for every guest.
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