‘All Things Maldives’ is being showcased at the NATAS Holidays 2022 event, held in Singapore, led by Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) along with industry partners. The fair will take place from 12 – 14 August 2022 at Singapore EXPO Hall 5.
NATAS Travel Fairs, launched in 1987, is a biannual affair that features different tourism products with the best travel deals for the market. Since inception, NATAS has been able to accumulate over 2.4 million visitors and is one of the most popular travel fairs among Singaporeans. NATAS Holidays showcases members’ latest products, trends and destinations. Attracting an average of over 100,000 visitors each run, the NATAS Travel fair brings in outbound travel agents, national tourist organisations, airlines, hotels، and other travel-related services under one roof.
MMPRC is accompanied at the fair by 23 participants from 12 companies. Through this event, MMPRC hopes to market the unique geographical features of the island nation, the products including resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards, the different segments, and unique experiences awaiting tourists in the Maldives. Participation in the event comes as part of MMPRC’s marketing strategy for the South East Asian (SEA) market, especially the Singaporean travellers. It aims to promote the Maldives as the most preferred destination, emphasising the close proximity and cultural aspects which make the Maldives ideal for travellers from this region.
The event provides a platform for industry partners to showcase and promote their products, whilst giving the destination the chance to achieve pre-pandemic arrival numbers and increase overall numbers from the region. An Outdoor Advertising Campaign is also being carried out coinciding with the fair, in which destination video ads are placed in prominent areas of Singapore such as HDB Hub, Jurong Point, and Bedok Town Square.
From January to July 2022 Maldives welcomed 18,489 tourists from the SEA market. MMPRC has been holding several activities targeting this market, including joint-marketing campaigns with major stakeholders, outdoor advertising campaigns, participation in fairs, hosting webinars, E-Learning programs and other events. Similar activities are in the pipeline for this market for this year as well, including joint-marketing campaigns with Travel Daily Media, Traveloka, and participation in ADEX Asia 2022 and ITB Asia 2022.
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.