Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) along with industry partners have promoted the Maldives as a safe haven for Indian travellers at one of the largest virtual travel and trade exhibitions held in India, SATTE GenX. The event was held from September 20-21.
SATTE GenX offers travel trade professionals the opportunity to network and connect with the target audience under one platform. This virtual expo is a part of India's broader plan to gradually reopen the travel, tourism and hospitality sector. It provided participants the chance to create mutually beneficial business partnerships.
During the event, the Maldives was given the opportunity to present the destination to the attendees of the digital event. Speaking during a panel discussion held as part of the exhibition, Managing Director of MMPRC Thayyib Mohamed spoke about how the pandemic affected the global tourism industry, noting it was especially challenging for the Maldives as the country is heavily reliant on tourism. He highlighted the strict measures in place in the Maldives, noting the country offers a safe, holistic and unique experience for all travelers.
SATTE GenX virtual expo was attended by more than 6,100 travel professionals with more than 26,000 interactions during the 2 days of the event. This year's event connected the Maldives with over 100 travel trade professionals from India, which would help increase future bookings and arrivals from India to the Maldives.
India is the top source market for Maldives this year. By September 15, the Maldives welcomed 817,387 tourists to the country, out of which 22.5% or 184,236 tourists were from India. With growing numbers of arrivals from the country, India has been among the top source markets during the last few years.