Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has taken part in BIT Digital Edition 2021.
Organized by Fiera Milano, the event is held virtually for the first time ever this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. From May 9 to 11, the virtual fair presents the opportunity to network with stakeholders from the Italian market and all over the world, manage appointments on the platform with participants, as well as establish new business connections through B2B meetings. From May 12 to 14, it is open for travellers and B2C components.
In addition, the event provides a platform to maintain and strengthen destination presence and promote the Maldives as a safe destination to travel to during this challenging period. A total of six companies and seven participants are taking part in this event, alongside the destination.
Prior to the pandemic, Italy was one of the top markets to the Maldives, with an arrival figure of 136,343 in 2019. Compared to the figures of the previous year this was a 29.5% increase. While these figures declined in 2020 due to travel restrictions enforced by the Italian government to contain the spread of COVID-19, it is expected that once these measures are eased and travel resumes, the market will once again be a key contributor to arrival figures.
Several activities are in the pipeline to further promote the Maldives in the Italian market. These include B2B and B2C activities such as webinars, digital advertisements, joint campaigns with airlines and tour operators. Additionally, campaigns to provide destination training and latest updates to various media are underway.
Maldives aims to re-establish as a close to heart destination for Italians and have several activities in the pipeline for the market. Despite the global pandemic, 555,494 travellers arrived in the Maldives in 2020.