Visit Maldives has conducted its first familiarization trip targeted for the US Market by hosting a group of journalists from the US from 9th to 16th of June 2021. Through different marketing tactics, Visit Maldives continues to promote the Maldives as a safe haven for travelers whilst putting emphasis on the unique geographical formation of the Maldives as well as the safety measures.
Focusing on the theme “Maldives as a safe haven”, the journalists will reside in three luxury resorts; Robinson Club Noonu, LUX* North Male’ Atoll and Kuramathi Maldives. The team is comprised of journalists representing major publications on offline and online channels such as, Travel & Leisure, TripSavvy.com, Forbes, Insider Travel, LA Style, Citizen-Femme.com, TravelAge West and Travel Pulse. Activities highlighting the natural beauty and luxury aspects of the destination will be carried on during this trip and the content gathered by the journalists will later on be featured on their respective publication platforms.
This familiarization trip is the first of many to come for the US Market, in order to create further exposure and advertise the Maldives as a safe haven for high-end travelers of the US. Visit Maldives has multiple activities arranged for the US Market this year, such as – familiarization trips for influencers, joint marketing promotions with tour operators, virtual roadshows, webinars and taking part in virtual and physical fairs such as the Ultra Summit show which is set to take place in the upcoming month.
Welcoming a total of 555,494 travelers in 2020 and over 457,747 travelers till June 2021 – the tourism industry of Maldives has shown remarkable resilience in the face of COVID-19. Taking a closer look at the arrivals of the US Market, by the end of 2020, 19,759 arrivals from the US made its way into the Maldives placing the US at 8th place source market of tourist arrivals. Looking into 2021, as of 3rd June 15,914 arrivals were recorded and the US is currently ranking at 6th place for top market arrivals into the Maldives this year.
With the commencement of a nationwide vaccination program, increased flight connections, and the gradual opening of major markets, Visit Maldives was able to take the opportunity to further promote the destination with global campaigns with the help of key stakeholders in the industry.
On 1st February 2021, the administration of COVID-19 vaccine was initiated with the government of Maldives aiming to provide free vaccination to all citizens and residents of the country. Over 90% of the people working in the tourism industry have received the first dose of the vaccine up to this date. The initiation of the vaccination drive is sure to bring a sense of comfort and safety to both the local population as well as the tourists.
