The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC / Visit Maldives) has kicked off a campaign with News UK to strengthen brand awareness for the Maldives as a holiday destination. The campaign is conducted for one month, starting January and ending February.
News UK is a mass media company which distributes news of all beats via newspapers, websites and radio broadcasting. They are the current publishers of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun newspapers. Under this campaign, articles with the latest information on the Maldives and the most up-to-date travel guidelines will be published on different news distribution platforms of News UK, which would reach the travel trade and potential travellers from the UK. The purpose of the campaign is to promote the destination as a safe haven, prepared to welcome tourists from the UK and all over the world. It will focus on promoting the resorts, hotels, guesthouses and liveaboards and the unique experiences available in the Maldives as well as the geography of our scattered islands which provide the ultimate natural social distance for tourists.
In 2021, a total of 1,312,706 tourists arrived in the Maldives. The top five markets during this period were India, Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. During this period, a total of 62,188 arrived from the UK to the Maldives- roughly 4.7% of the total arrivals.
MMPRC has conducted several marketing activities in the UK market during last year. This includes webinars, joint marketing campaigns, media interviews, familiarization trips, roadshows, participation in major travel trade fairs and exhibitions. Some notable events include The National Wedding Show, WTM London 2021, Maldives Media Meet (press conference) and MICE Roadshow in the UK, London Taxi Advertising – OOH advertising, digital campaign with Skyscanner and TV advertising with ITV.
Ongoing activities for this market include a joint marketing campaign with British Airways and digital campaigns with tour operators and travel agents.
