Visit Maldives, in collaboration with industry stakeholders, participated in a webinar series organized by the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA).
According to Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), this series was conducted on a one destination per webinar basis, in which a Maldives-focused three-hour session took place on the December 16, 2020.
MMPRC said that the purpose of this event was to relay the latest information about the newly established safe tourism guidelines, and the most recent updates on the Maldivian products to the Japanese travel market.
Further, this event provided opportunities to the resorts and other industry partners to showcase their unique experiences, MMPRC said.
The event commenced with opening remarks by the Managing Director of Visit Maldives, Thoyyib Mohamed, which was followed by a speech from the Maldives’ Ambassador to Japan Ibrahim Uvais.
Subsequently, MMPRC stated that a variety of presentations were provided by the six industry partners as the main component of the event, including presentations focused on showcasing the post-lockdown experiences available in Maldives.
As per the corporation, more than five hundred attendees from the Japanese travel trade industry were present at the sessions.
Japan has remained one of the main key markets to the Maldives. In 2019, a total of 44,251 Japanese tourists visited Maldives, making Japan the ninth top market in terms of tourist arrivals.
Statistics show that prior to the lockdown in March 2020, there were 8,302 visitors and since the reopening in July, there has been a total arrival of 55 visitors until October.
Visit Maldives kicked off this year with ambitious plans to achieve greater milestones, although some of the marketing campaigns had to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team at Visit Maldives also said they have adapted and shifted focus towards maintaining the destination's presence through digital and social media platforms, ensuring constant visibility within the Japanese market.
Visit Maldives assured that it is continuing to carry out several marketing activities in global markets to promote Maldives, in which over 415 different types of activities have been carried out in 22 countries. Notable campaigns include the online roadshow in China, a global advertising campaign with Skyscanner and the digital marketing campaign with Zomato which recently concluded in the Middle East market.
Under the constant efforts and health and safety precautions undertaken prior to the reopening, Maldives has welcomed its 100,000th visitor since the reopening of borders, as well as the island nation's 500,000th visitor for the year 2020.
Maldives also received the World’s Leading Destination award by the World Travel Awards this year, a testament to the desirability the country continues to carry amongst international travel enthusiasts.
It is estimated that the tourist arrival rates will increase during the year 2021, and that an estimated amount of 1.5 million tourist arrivals will be reached.
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