To commence the reopening of borders for all nationalities in the Maldives, and to launch the “Rediscover Maldives…the sunny side of life” campaign, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) hosted a virtual press conference on 15 July 2020. Top international media from 21 countries including the main source markets of UK, China, Italy, India, Germany, Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, and Japan, participated in this live conference with almost 300 attendees in total.

The campaign aims to strengthen the market presence to welcome back tourists once again. All marketing activities will be carried out under one campaign tagline: “Rediscover Maldives…the sunny side of life” for the rest of 2020.

In the opening statement, Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed, the Managing Director of MMPRC spoke about how the government and private sector have been working hard to ensure safety and hygiene standards for travellers in the new normal. He also mentioned that the Maldives is fully prepared to welcome back tourists and that the safety of tourists and staff are the destinations’ top priority.

The remarks were followed by further statements from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honorable Abdulla Shahid. According to Honorable Abdulla Shahid, responding to COVID-19 has been tough but the Maldives has come back stronger as the Maldives is a safe destination for all tourists and staff. Minister of Health, Honorable Abdulla Ameen mentioned a ‘sense of relief and excitement as the country welcomes back tourists’. He also gave reassurance that proper health and safety measures have been put in place around the country to ensure an enjoyable vacation for visitors.

The day also marks the arrival of the first tourists since the closing of borders on 27 March 2020. Connecting from various countries, 107 foreigners arrived on the first commercial Qatar Airways flight to land in Maldives since borders closed.

The event and the campaign are amongst the first initiatives to promote the destination once borders are reopened. With the onset of tourism adapting to the ‘new normal’ and under proper safety precautions, MMPRC has a variety of activities planned for the year. H.E President Solih has announced a target of 850, 000 visitors by the end of 2020.

A link to the “Rediscover Maldives…the sunny side of life” new campaign video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYKcj_5vECM

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Photo Credits:
Photo 1: Qatar Airways flight arrives at Velana International Airport. Credit Maldives Ministry of Tourism.
Photo 2: MMPRC launched the new marketing campaign ‘Rediscover Maldives…the Sunny Side of Life’ campaign on 15th July 2020
Photo 3: Representatives from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism and MMPRC greet the first tourists to arrive at Velana International Airport. Credit Fayaz Moosa from Sun Media.

Notes to Editors:
For further information, please contact:
Sarah Salord | GEC PR | [email protected]

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