The Maldives participated in OTM Mumbai as the partner country of India’s biggest travel and trade exhibition.
The three-day fair at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai, which concludes on Wednesday (16 March), features over 1,100 exhibitors from 55 countries with visitor figures estimated to reach over 30,000.
“The main purpose of participating in this event is to promote the Maldives as a safe haven for travellers and to update the Indian travel trade with the latest information and travel guidelines from the destination,” according to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, which emphasised the geographical advantages of scattered islands that offers natural isolation and social distancing, and promoted Maldivian resorts, guesthouses and liveaboard vessels with the goal of increasing future bookings and tourist arrivals from India.
“As the partner country, Maldives is entitled to visibility on both offline and online components. As such, Maldives will be promoted as a preferred holiday destination for Indians by highlighting tourism products and segments and experiences at strategic locations of the venue,” the MMPRC explained. “Further to this, our participation was communicated to over 50,000 agents in the organiser’s database through official presses and emailers.”
The MMPRC represented the Maldives at a designated stand together with 18 co-exhibitors from the tourism industry.
On the sidelines of OTM, MMPRC CEO Thoyyib Mohamed joined a panel discussion about the importance of India’s outbound market to the post-pandemic recovery of tourism. He spoke about ongoing efforts to maintain the Maldives’ brand visibility and position among Indian travellers. During the exhibition, a leading Indian tour operator, One Above Agency, presented an award to the MMPRC titled “Friend of Indian Outbound Travel Fraternity.” On Tuesday, Thoyyib attended a networking event organised by the Maldives tourism ministry about connectivity and investment opportunities.
Since the Maldives reopened borders in July 2020, Indian tourists have been essential for the recovery of the tourism industry as the top source market over the past two years. Indian holidaymakers represented a 23% market share with 278,740 arrivals in 2021. To maintain and build on the momentum, the MMPRC has been participating in several fairs and exhibitions in India and conducting virtual and in-person activities such as webinars, roadshows, familiarisation trips and marketing campaigns with stakeholders.
