The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has initiated a joint advertising campaign with popular tour operator ITAKA, targeting the Polish market. This month-long campaign began in January 2022.
With over 30 years of experience, ITAKA is one of the most popular tour operators in Poland. ITAKA offers holidays to over 100 locations worldwide and served an impressive 915,000 clients in 2018. With over a 30% market share, ITAKA holds a spot as a proficient and experienced tour operator in the Polish market. The campaign with ITAKA will strongly increase Maldives’ visibility in the Polish market.
Under the joint campaign between MMPRC and ITAKA, digital marketing and outdoor ambient activities will be conducted to promote the renowned products and uniquely-Maldivian experiences. It will highlight the destination as a safe haven, market the products (resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards), the safety measures in place at these facilities and the latest travel guidelines for the benefit of Polish travelers planning to visit the Maldives.
The campaign will see google ads published on major Polish websites and portals, social media platforms, and push messages and emails sent through Polish travel trade to potential tourists. Slides with destination advertisements on App TV in 150 shops around Poland will be displayed during the campaign. Furthermore, outdoor advertising will be placed in 2 areas of Poland during this campaign.
The campaign aims to maintain the Maldives as the top-of-mind destination; utilize the connectivity (currently the only direct flight from Poland) to market the destination and increase the number of bookings; and boost the destination presence during the peak season.
By December 29th of last year, the Maldives welcomed 1,312,706 tourists to the country, out of which 23,597 were from Poland. MMPRC has been holding various activities across the globe, to market the destination and increase arrivals from top, new and emerging markets. This includes holding webinars, road shows, familiarization trips, joint marketing campaigns and participating in fairs and exhibitions targeting different markets.
In 2021 alone, MMPRC carried out over 260 different activities in 22 global markets. This includes interviews given for news, magazines and TV, marketing campaigns, webinars, familiarization trips, and participation in fairs and exhibitions. The greatest testament to the success of these activities came in December, 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 travelers 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. MMPRC has planned over 60 in-person events for the year 2022, including 11 fairs, roadshows and events scheduled for just the first quarter.