Maldives has participated in the China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition (CAEXPOTE) 2018, held in Guilin, China from October 26-28.
Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) promoted Maldives as a destination for the Chinese market. During the 3-day exhibition, MMPRC representatives promoted various segments of the destination targeted towards attracting the Chinese market. MMPRC representatives participated in a B2B session with the major operators and media from the region. Visitors were given most up to date information about the destination and were given the opportunity to taste Maldivian flavours right from the stand. Aside from these, visitors are also invited to take part in a social media campaign.
CAEXPOTE is among the growing exhibitions in the Guangxi region which commenced its first show in 2015. The annual exhibition in Guilin, Guangxi, aims to promote cooperation and exchange between China and ASEAN countries in the tourism field, while also enhancing mutually beneficial understanding and friendship among the region.
The exhibition is determined to expand in the coming years, to position the exhibition as an internally recognised and well-known exhibition and a cooperative platform for regional tourism. In the past, the event has exhibited over 900 stands, from over 60 countries, while attracting over 200,000 visitors.
China continues to be the top market to Maldives in terms of arrivals since the arrivals numbers spiked in 2012 positioning itself as the top market to Maldives. In 2017, 306,530 Chinese tourists visited Maldives contributing to 22.1% of the total market share. 222,108 Chinese tourists were recorded to have arrived by the end of September 2018, according to the most recent arrival figures.
Participation in these fairs and constant market presence has helped maintain the arrivals from China over the years and is expected to continue to increase.