Maldives participates in online travel event - ATM Virtual

Maldives Marketing Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and tourism companies in Maldives are participating Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Virtual, a three-day online travel event which underscores the need of the travel and tourism industry to adapt to the post-coronavirus world.

ATM 2020 was originally scheduled to be held in Dubai from June 28 to July 1, but was postponed to the coming year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ATM Virtual is hosted by the organizers of ATM 2020, and provides a virtual platform for travel and tourism stakeholders to continue to do business while staying safe.

The event focuses on emerging travel trends and challenges faced by the tourism industry amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and will serve as a networking platform for travel professionals.

According to a statement released by MMRC, the corporation, along with other participants from the Maldivian tourism will meet up with travel professionals and attend live webinars given by industry experts during the three-day event.

The Tourism Ministry announced last week that it planned on reopening the country’s borders to tourists in July.

“With the borders reopening to tourists soon, Maldives is working on ways to sustain tourism effectively with safety precautions in place,” said MMPRC in its statement.

The corporation said it expected ATM Virtual will provide beneficial insights which could be incorporated into future promotional strategies in the Maldivian tourism industry.

MMPRC said it hoped to boost tourist arrivals from the Middle East through such events and various other marketing activities focused on the region.

Maldives recorded 60,003 tourist arrivals from the Middle East in 2019, a 15.1 increase compared to 2018.

Maldives had also recorded a 73.7 percent increase in tourist arrivals from the Middle East in January this year compared to 2019, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

MMPRC said that it was maintaining its efforts in the digital promotion of Maldives as one of the most preferred island destinations in the world.

“The focus remains on the road to recovery, with the aim of providing a broader scope for the rest of the world to connect with the destination,” said the corporation.