As part of the series of roadshows planned by Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) the “ Journey to the Sunny Side “ commenced in India. The roadshow was held in five prominent cities in India; Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi and Chandigarh from 24 – 28 June 2019 and witnessed attendance of more than 500 participants across travel agents, tour operators and media. Maldives Roadshow in India was the third event of this series as part of the marketing promotional activities conducted by MMPRC.
The event in Delhi was graced by Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to India, Her Excellency Aishath Mohamed Didi.
The five – city roadshow targeted the Indian audience to maximize the Maldives brand exposure. This event served as a platform for Maldives tourism industry partners to showcase products and network with the top travel trade industry partners of India. 25 companies participated in the Maldives roadshow in India 2019, to create potential opportunities and to further strengthen the relationship with Indian tour operators. In addition to the networking session during the event, a raffle draw winner was chosen from each city to spend holidays in the Maldives, with sponsorship from Shangri-la’s Villingili Resort & Spa Maldives.
The Maldives delegation was led by Deputy Managing Director of MMPRC, Ms. Aishath Neesha Mohamed Shahid. She said “The purpose of having these roadshows was to maximize the brand exposure of Maldives by showcasing the products of Maldives. The roadshow conducted in five cities of India was joined by our industry partners and the top travel industry partners of India. This roadshow ended on a successful note as our partners were able to further strengthen and build relationships with Indian travel operators. We are confident, that as a result, we will see a growth in the number of tourist arrivals to the Maldives from India”.
The Indian market has seen tremendous growth in terms of arrivals to the Maldives in the past three years with a 9 percent growth in 2018 compared to the previous year. Indian market holds 3rd place in terms of arrivals to the Maldives with a market share of 8.8 percent till May 2019. Moreover, as India ranks within the top five, with great accessibility to the Maldives, MMPRC plans to further strengthen the market with additional activities throughout the year.