Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) is marketing the Maldives’ luxury tourism experiences at the most exclusive luxury travel trade show held in the Middle East, International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Arabia . The event is held from 10th May – 11th May on the sidelines of ATM 2022 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center – also known as the Dubai World Trade Center.

ILTM takes place in a specified zone within ATM 2022 and is an essential sales and marketing opportunity for travel specialists. The show consists of highly curated meetings between the most exclusive and sought-after travel designers and the world’s finest hospitality brands. This provides the opportunity for various parties in the travel trade such as agents and advisors working to cater for the luxury market to come together to create meaningful partnerships.

This show specifically targets the ultra-rich markets from the Middle East from Bahrain to Yemen. MMPRC showcasing the ultimate luxury vacation experiences available in the World’s Leading Destination, the Maldives at this show, reconnecting with travel trade from the Middle East and beyond. Through this event, we will inform the travel trade and travellers from the Middle East and other countries of the various luxury tourism products and services available in the destination, and the unique experiences the destination offers to travellers. The unique geography of the Maldivian scattered islands, the one-island-one-resort concept providing ultimate safety, security and privacy, the secluded and luxurious liveaboard experiences will be emphasised during this event.

We are participating in this particular event as part of our marketing strategy for the Middle East focused on establishing Maldives as a top-of-the-mind destination for luxury travellers from this market. It also comes under a new short term strategy devised to address the evolving geopolitical climate in the world following the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war. With Russia and CIS topping the arrivals figures in recent years, the strategy is aimed at mitigating the potential negative impact on arrival numbers from this region by re-strategising marketing activities in selected markets to minimise the potential adverse effects on the Maldives tourism industry and the nation’s economy.

Last year, Maldives welcomed 91,413 tourists to the country from the Middle Eastern market with Saudi Arabia ranked as the 7th top market to Maldives. From January to March this year the country has recorded 21,117 arrivals from the Middle East market. MMPRC has planned several activities targeting the Middle East market under the effort to maintain destination visibility. This includes joint-marketing campaigns, webinars, participation in major fairs and exhibitions, roadshows, and hosting familiarisation trips.

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.