Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has taken part in one of the longest-running pan-regional travel shows organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). PATA Travel Market (PTM) 2020 is held on a new, fully virtual platform. The fair started on 23rd September 2020 in conjunction with Sichuan International Travel Expo, and ended today.
During these five days of 2020 Virtual PTM, MMPRC connected with several qualified buyers through network lounges, interactive games and giveaways sessions. Furthermore, the show highlighted the latest updates from participating destinations and corporations, alongside the PTM’s forums section of this event. These activities are useful in providing beneficial insights on travel recovery with live presentations and panels which could be utilized into future marketing strategies in the tourism industry, to strengthen the image of Maldives as a destination.
In order to maintain destination presence in the markets, MMPRC took part in the PATA Dream to Travel Festival, held from 22nd June to 17th July 2020. The purpose of this was meeting experts in the field and to showcase the products to the Pacific Asian Region. MMPRC also conducted several activities including the Rediscover Maldives Webinar Series which included 4 sessions that were targeted towards giving updated information about the destination to travel trade and media across different regions. The overall aim of participating in these virtual events is to maintain the constant efforts through digital platforms and rebuild the confidence in the destination as a ‘safe haven’ for tourists.
Asia Pacific has always been an important region for the Maldives in terms of tourist arrivals, as some of the highest arrivals are from this region. This includes China, India, Japan and Australia positioned in the top 10 markets for Maldives during December 2019. While some of the countries have maintained their position during the earlier period of 2020, others are expected to grow in the future when traveling is resumed to a normal status.