Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has conducted a webinar and virtual roadshow under the name 'Connect with Maldives - Your Safe Haven' on April 14 and 15, targeting the South Korean travel trade.
Both events were held on the recently launched virtual event management platform of MMPRC 'My Virtual Maldives'. During the webinar, the latest updates, guidelines, health and safety measures regarding the pandemic were highlighted with an emphasis on the natural socially-distanced islands of Maldives and the stringent measures. Furthermore, information on resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards and Hotels was shared along with a Q&A session where participants voiced their queries regarding travel guidelines, entry requirements and safety measures in place.
The webinar was followed by a virtual roadshow attended by key trade partners from South Korea and key industry partners in Maldives. The industry partners were able to connect and network with the travel trade and share latest updates of their products and services. A raffle draw was held during the event, where a holiday prize was sponsored by Crossroads Maldives.
As a result of the border closures and travel restrictions amongst the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant drop in the number of arrivals from South Korea. As of February 2021, Maldives welcomed 162 arrivals from South Korea.
Prior to the pandemic, South Korea was an emerging top source market in terms of arrivals to the Maldives. In 2019, Maldives recorded 36,609 arrivals from South Korea ranking the market as the 12th top source market to Maldives.