Journalists from prominent Indonesian publications arrived last week on a familiarisation trip aimed at promoting adventure and dive experiences in the Maldives.
The media team is staying at the Kuramathi Maldives, Pullman Maldives Maamutaa and Mercure Maldives Koodoo resorts during the six-day visit from 23 to 28 June.
“This trip will help to promote the dive segment of the Maldives, showcasing dive facilities and relevant experiences. Through this trip, we will be able to promote the Maldivian tourism products, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses, and liveaboards, to the Indonesian market,” according to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation.
“We will also be able to market the unique geographic aspects of our scattered islands, the one-island-one resort concept, and the safety and seclusion that our destination offers tourists. The participants of the trip will share social media posts and write articles about their experiences in the Maldives, expected to reach 30 million potential travellers from Indonesia.”
The MMPRC’s strategy for the Indonesian market is based on improving digital visibility and building greater brand awareness of the Maldives as a safest destination.
The Maldives welcomed more than 4,000 tourists from Indonesia before the pandemic but arrivals fell to about 1,000 last year. The MMPRC plans to conduct several marketing activities this year in Southeast Asia to boost arrivals from the relatively untapped market.
A three-month advertising campaign was launched earlier this month with DestinAsian, an award-winning magazine focusing on the Southeast Asian and Asia Pacific regions with a readership of 98,364 per edition. The Maldives was chosen among the ‘Top 5 Best Island’ in the DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards 2022.
According to the MMPRC, the campaign will include a full-page advertisement as a ‘Thank You’ from the destination to the readers along with social media posts advertising the 50th anniversary.
“The campaign will also see a dedicated EDM email blast and a bonus two-month MPU 2 banner in the DestinAsian website. The purpose of this campaign is to maintain brand visibility in the SEA Market and to maximise the visibility of the Maldives within the online platforms of the market,” the MMPRC explained.
“The campaign aims to market the natural geographic advantages of the Maldives having scattered islands which allows natural social distancing, to market the individual products including resorts, hotels, guesthouses/homestay and liveaboards in the SEA market. The strategy is based on informing the travel trade and travelers about the latest travel guidelines and unique experiences available to holidaymakers in the Maldives.”
The government’s tourism promotion is pursuing a “new short-term strategy devised to address the evolving geopolitical climate in the world following the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war.” The strategy is aimed at mitigating the loss of tourists from the region by “restrategising marketing activities in selected markets to minimise the potential adverse effects on the Maldives tourism industry and the nation’s economy.”
