To commence the reopening of borders for all nationalities in Maldives, and to launch the “Rediscover Maldives…the sunny side of life” campaign, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has hosted a virtual press conference today. Top international media from 21 countries including the main source markets, China, Italy, India, Germany, Russia, UK, France, Saudi Arabia and Japan, participated in this live conference with almost 300 attendees in total.
The campaign aims to strengthen the market presence to welcome back tourists once again. All marketing activities will be carried out under one campaign tagline; “Rediscover Maldives…the sunny side of life” for the rest of 2020.
In the opening statement, Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, the Managing Director of MMPRC spoke about how the government and private sector have been working hard to ensure safety and hygiene standards for travelers in the new normal. He also mentioned that the Maldives is fully prepared to welcome back tourists and that safety of tourists and staff are top priority.
The remarks were followed by further statements from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honorable Abdulla Shahid. According to Honorable Abdulla Shahid, responding to COVID-19 has been tough but we have come back stronger as Maldives is a safe destination for all tourists and staff. Minister of Health, Honorable Abdulla Ameen mentioned a sense of relief and excitement as we welcome back tourists. He also gave the reassurance that proper health and safety measures have been put in place around the country to ensure an enjoyable vacation for visitors.
The virtual press conference was also translated into three languages in real time as it was carried out; Chinese, Russian and Korean. The conference ended with a Q&A session where the speakers clarified enquiries of journalists from around the globe.
The day also marks the arrival of the first tourists since the closing of borders on 27th March 2020. Connecting from various countries, 107 foreigners arrived on the first commercial Qatar Airways flight to land in Maldives since borders closed.
The event and the campaign are amongst the first initiatives to promote the destination once borders are reopened. With the onset of tourism adapting to the “new normal” and under proper safety precautions, MMPRC has a variety of activities planned for the year. H.E President Solih has announced a target of 850, 000 visitors by the end of 2020.
