Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) is gearing up to promote the Maldives as a destination in the French market through two consecutive activities this September; the “Connect with Maldives, Your Safe Haven Maldives Roadshow” and participation in International and French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa 2022.

Of the two activities, MMPRC’s roadshow targeting the French market was held in Paris, at Le 28 George V, joined by 13 industry partners. The purpose of this roadshow is to re-establish and consolidate France as one of the key source markets for the Maldives. The roadshow further aims to strengthen trade relationships between potential travel agents and our industry partners. The target audience for this event includes affluent travel agents.

At the same time, MMPRC and 27 industry partners are taking part in IFTM Top Resa 2022, held from 20th – 22nd September 2022 at Porte de Versailles. IFTM Top Resa 2022 is a multi-purpose trade show for tourism and travel, covering all travel reasons: business, leisure, group & MICE. The B2B event is held in Paris, offering excellent business opportunities, improved returns on investment, and access to qualified and relevant travel buyers, influencers, and market professionals.

Both of these events come under MMPRC’s marketing strategies for the French market. Through such activities, we aim to make the Maldives the most preferred destination for French travellers while maintaining and strengthening destination presence in order to increase arrivals to pre-pandemic figures. It will also help to promote our products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards) and segments including honeymoon, romantic, family, adventure, dive and underwater. MMPRC will also market the scattered geography of our islands, and the privacy, luxury and unique experiences that we offer visitors. Such events also provide industry partners with a platform to promote their properties, products, and services.

As of 24th August 2022, France is the 7th top source market to the Maldives with an arrival figure of 34,120, which is a 3.2% market share of the total arrivals of 1,056,851 that the country has achieved during this period. MMPRC has been holding several activities targeting this market, including marketing campaigns, social media campaigns, digital media advertising campaigns, and participation in fairs and exhibitions.

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.